Through much of the 19th century, Pace's Ferry was an important ferry across the Chattahoochee River near Atlanta. Started in the early 1830s near Peachtree Creek, it was run by Hardy Pace, one of the city's founders. It was an important transportation link to northwestern Georgia, especially prior to the construction of the State Road (the Western & Atlantic Railroad) to Chattanooga.
In Vinings (formerly Paces), Pace's Mill was a gristmill begun by Hardy Pace, founded to diversify his holdings after the railroad was built. The short Paces Mill Road still exists today. Just across the river is Paces, the northwesternmost neighborhood of Atlanta.
During the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War, the Battle of Pace's Ferry was fought July 5, 1864.
The original Pace's Ferry Road was begun during the Georgia Gold Rush as a stage coach bringing people from Decatur to Vinings, where they could continue on to gold country. The road went southeast from the river to Irbyville (later Irby, now Buckhead), then following what is now called "Old Decatur Road", then Lindbergh Drive/LaVista Road, through what is now Emory University on Clifton Road, along Haygood Drive then North Decatur Road until that hits Clairmont Road, which was then known as the Shallowford Road. [citation needed]
In modern times, Paces Ferry Road (dropping the apostrophe) is still an important east–west route across northern Atlanta. West Paces Ferry Road runs from the center of Buckhead Village as far west as a dead-end in Paces, while Paces Ferry Road splits off to the northwest at Nancy Creek and runs across the river to Vinings in Cobb County, where it is the address for the world headquarters of The Home Depot. Beginning at Atlanta Road and going east, it crosses I-285 at mile 18, and heads into historic Vinings where it crosses the Chattahoochee River. This river crossing is very near the old ferry location, just down from the 1904 bridge that replaced the ferry. That first wooden bridge had been used for pedestrians since being replaced by a concrete one in the early 1970s.
En el río, Paces Ferry Road ingresa al condado de Fulton y a los límites de la ciudad de Atlanta y continúa hasta su terminal en el extremo occidental del área de Buckhead de Atlanta . Aquí, West Paces Ferry Road continúa bajo la I-75 en la milla 255 y se dirige al este a través de algunos de los vecindarios más antiguos y ricos de Buckhead de Atlanta. Sirve como la dirección de la Mansión del Gobernador de Georgia , así como de muchas otras mansiones y fincas majestuosas más antiguas de Atlanta. A diferencia de muchos de los suburbios más nuevos del área metropolitana de Atlanta , el área a lo largo de esta calle ha mantenido la mayor parte de su cubierta forestal, lo que también la convierte en un recorrido agradable y pintoresco. Emerge de este dosel en el centro de Buckhead, y se encuentra con Peachtree Road en el extremo sur de Roswell Road.
Después de pasar Georgia 9 y US 19 (ambas con rumbo a Peachtree al sur y Roswell al norte), se convierte en East Paces Ferry Road . Se detiene en Piedmont Road ( Georgia 237 ), luego continúa muy ligeramente hacia el norte por el otro lado como una calle residencial. La sección con peaje de la autopista Georgia 400 , terminada en 1993, convirtió esta en una calle sin salida a principios de la década de 1990. Se reanuda en el otro lado de la autopista de peaje, a lo largo del borde sureste de Lenox Square , el primer centro comercial cubierto de la ciudad. Luego, la carretera termina al este-noreste de Lenox Road en Roxboro Road.