Ford’s Ferry Road and Pott’s Tavern (missing)
County:
Hardin
Picture:
Location:
The marker was located 1.5 miles south of the Gallatin-Hardin County Line, on the east side of IL Route 1, at the foot of Pott’s Hill, 8 miles north of Cave-In -Rock. (missing)
Latitude:
37.5754
Longitude:
-88.1861
Dedication Date:
01/01/1985
Dedication By:
Hardin County Historical and Genealogical Society and The Illinois State Historical Society
Marker Description:
James Ford, a powerful and scheming leader of a gang of outlaws, owned a ferry that crossed the Ohio River near Cave-in-Rock from 1823 to 1833. Ford’s Gang helped him acquire a fortune in land, money, slaves, and livestock by robbing and murdering travelers. Ford’s Ferry Road was a ten-mile wooded trail from the ferry to Pott’s Tavern, where weary settlers who had escaped Ford’s highwaymen were victims of the same fate at the hands of owner Bill Potts. The Ford and Potts era at Cave-In-Rock ended with the murder of Ford in 1833 by another gang member.
Map: