Birmingham Road in Liberty

[TheSpaceCowboy]

If anyone is on here that has lived in liberty a long time, you can probably help me on this. I have seen on older maps that both birmingham and hughes road used to be paved from Liberty to Birmingham. My question is, why were these roads permantly closed and left to deteriorate?
Thanks, Nick

[FangKC]

I imagine the county didn't want to pay to maintain them once the interstate was built.

[zlohban]

Not a longtimer but I live near the Liberty end of the road.

That road is a big mystery being gated and all. If you look at Maps you can see properties with buildings which might be abandoned. My kids say it is often talked about as being haunted, top secret, etc.. Interesting about being paved...but most of the country roads around here are paved. You can't see any paving where it is closed off.

Have you ever found the Birmingham end of the road? I haven't. My son and I tried to find Birmingham once, with no GPS, turned at the sign off 210 hwy and ended up in a parking lot???

I know an old-timer so I will ask and repost. I like to hear the old stories and laugh when they say before MO152 was updated they seldom traveled that direction, using Vivion Rd / US69 for all their excursions. I guess whenKCI was first built it was a pain to drive to even from Liberty. Sorry JOCO, sounds petty.

Another story I like hearing is Frevert Hardware on MO291 was the first business to build outside of the square. Also, the high school and the old Clayview Club at one time seemed to be in the country.

Anyone else with old Northland information?

[TheSpaceCowboy]

Sounds like you did get close to Birmingham, it's just after the FedEx ground dist. center and musicians friend off of 210 coming from the east. I've seen the other end, it's also gated. As for what you said about Liberty way back when, I'd heard that LHS was all out there on its own on Kansas, but not about Freverts. That makes a lot of sense though, can't believe that's how the shift west happened. All it takes is one, I guess.

[chaglang]

For the Southlanders, could you post a Google map? You piqued my interest at "abandoned road".

[TheSpaceCowboy]

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=birmingh ... a=N&tab=wl

There you go. May not work, but that's the closed road, end to end.

[FangKC]

It looks like the abandoned section of Birmingham Road was probably a county road, and the county decided it wasn't worth maintaining any longer after 435, 210, and 291 were built.

It looks like at some point, Withers Road, and Hughes Road, will need to be extended down to 210 Highway to promote growth and development in that large area that isn't developed now.

[flyingember]

It looks like the abandoned section of Birmingham Road was probably a county road, and the county decided it wasn't worth maintaining any longer after 435, 210, and 291 were built.

It looks like at some point, Withers Road, and Hughes Road, will need to be extended down to 210 Highway to promote growth and development in that large area that isn't developed now.

Liberty only goes to the bluffs

given the bottoms is mostly industrial and rail lines already I don't see why we need residental roads to go that way to get growth

[kigmee]

I guess I'm an old timer now - I rode schoolbusses that went down Birmingham Rd to Seven Hills Rd (which is no longer there). There are abandoned mine entrances in the bluffs at a point on the road that was known as Shooter's Corner. Kids would drive out there to drink, and people would take all sorts of stuff (old TV's, appliances, furniture) down there and shoot 'em up. I heard the road was closed to deter that kind of senseless behavior. In that spot, at least.

I have skirted the roadblock and biked down Birmingham Rd from Liberty. Eventually you get to some pretty rough spots, possibly including a bridge that is out. I wish it was passable all the way to 210 and opened to non-vehicular traffic - it would be very convenient for cyclists. The last time I biked there, with my son and a friend of his, we came down the road near Birmingham and found ourselves in the line of fire of people shooting pistols up the road at a kitchen chair set up in the middle of the lane, but missing a lot and bullets where whizzing by us. Not a healthy situation.

I have also hiked along the bluffs from 291 down to Birmingham road - it's really nice but I'm sure it's across private property and some of the landowners there take a very dim view of trespassing. The Liberty Arsenal was situated near where 291 now crosses the bluffs, which was where you could start hiking, but probably shouldn't. An historic marker sign was recently erected there by the road, but while landowners express support for turning some of that into a park, they want improvements to come along with it. In the meantime, they don't want anyone visiting the actual site where the Arsenal was.

[TheSpaceCowboy]

I can attest to these rumors, I have heard in school that the KKK hangs out there. I don't believe this in the slightest, but the rumors about the area are rampant. The bit about the shooting and dumping makes sense, what business do people have going there, besides passing through? And why is seven hills road as long as it is without connecting?

[kigmee]

And why is seven hills road as long as it is without connecting?

Seven Hills Road is now just a few hundred yards long. Google shows it going almost to Birmingham Rd, but it stops at the first (and only) house on the road. I've been pondering the semantic value of the "Road Closed Temporary" sign at the entrance to Seven Hills for more than a decade now.

[TheSpaceCowboy]

There are quite some Ozark-y areas back there, I've come to find out.

[JaseFifty1]

I recently bypassed the roadblock and ran on Old Birmingham Road. Shortly after the road curves to the west, it terminates at a gated field. The old roadway easement is just barely visible further west and was dominated by tall grass and weeds. A prominent "No Trespassing" sign was posted right in the middle of where the road used to be.

[flyingember]

And why is seven hills road as long as it is without connecting?

Seven Hills Road is now just a few hundred yards long. Google shows it going almost to Birmingham Rd, but it stops at the first (and only) house on the road. I've been pondering the semantic value of the "Road Closed Temporary" sign at the entrance to Seven Hills for more than a decade now.

I started the fixing process for this road in google mapmaker.

[kigmee]

I recently bypassed the roadblock and ran on Old Birmingham Road. Shortly after the road curves to the west, it terminates at a gated field. The old roadway easement is just barely visible further west and was dominated by tall grass and weeds. A prominent "No Trespassing" sign was posted right in the middle of where the road used to be.

Where Google maps shows Birmingham Rd turning north, I think it actually continued southwest, to run alongside the train tracks to Birmingham. If you follow the tracks on the map, you eventually come to a stub labeled N Birmingham Rd. I think there is a bridge out on this stretch now, though.

Does anyone happen to know what the status of the road easement is? Who owns it? Does it revert to landowners when the road is abandoned?

[JaseFifty1]

Does anyone happen to know what the status of the road easement is? Who owns it? Does it revert to landowners when the road is abandoned?

According to the Clay County GIS map, the roadway is still a public easement.

http://gisweb.claycogov.com/maps/#

[im2kull]

I can attest to these rumors, I have heard in school that the KKK hangs out there. I don't believe this in the slightest..

The largest KKK meeting in history took place at that spot, so be careful with what you doubt

..There are abandoned mine entrances in the bluffs at a point on the road that was known as Shooter's Corner. Kids would drive out there to drink, and people would take all sorts of stuff (old TV's, appliances, furniture) down there and shoot 'em up.

..The last time I biked there, with my son and a friend of his, we came down the road near Birmingham and found ourselves in the line of fire of people shooting pistols up the road at a kitchen chair set up in the middle of the lane, but missing a lot and bullets where whizzing by us. Not a healthy situation.

...The Liberty Arsenal was situated near where 291 now crosses the bluffs, which was where you could start hiking, but probably shouldn't...In the meantime, they don't want anyone visiting the actual site where the Arsenal was.

All correct. The area is very sketchy to say the least. No cell coverage, no way to turn a car around. Etc. Once found myself back there with some friends while a car was set afire in a nearby field. Not a good place to find yourself in the middle of the night.

[im2kull]

I can attest to these rumors, I have heard in school that the KKK hangs out there. I don't believe this in the slightest..

The largest KKK meeting in history took place at that spot, so be careful with what you doubt

..There are abandoned mine entrances in the bluffs at a point on the road that was known as Shooter's Corner. Kids would drive out there to drink, and people would take all sorts of stuff (old TV's, appliances, furniture) down there and shoot 'em up.

..The last time I biked there, with my son and a friend of his, we came down the road near Birmingham and found ourselves in the line of fire of people shooting pistols up the road at a kitchen chair set up in the middle of the lane, but missing a lot and bullets where whizzing by us. Not a healthy situation.

...The Liberty Arsenal was situated near where 291 now crosses the bluffs, which was where you could start hiking, but probably shouldn't...In the meantime, they don't want anyone visiting the actual site where the Arsenal was.

All correct. The area is very sketchy to say the least. No cell coverage, no way to turn a car around. Etc. Once found myself back there with some friends while a car was set afire in a nearby field. Not a good place to find yourself in the middle of the night.

[kigmee]

The largest KKK meeting in history took place at that spot, so be careful with what you doubt

Do tell. When & precisely where did this happen?

[TheSpaceCowboy]

Where was there a car being lit on fire?