Through the centuries it has been an Indian trail, a cart path, a stagecoach route, a country road, a highway and a corridor of commerce.

One thing it hasn't been is constant.

As The Augusta Chronicle set out to study Washington Road, one question above all others had to be answered: How did the road get its name?

It seemed safe to assume the road was named for Washington, Ga., a town of about 4,300 and the seat of Wilkes County. But that's not the first city it goes to, nor is it in the road's general direction.

With the help of local historians and history buffs, The Chronicle pieced together the route of a Washington Road that has vanished, one that went to Washington during the time of the Revolutionary War.

Then we looked at the Washington Road that remains, the one made famous by the Masters Tournament, the one that seems to have a life of its own. Living along it isn't easy for some.

People such as Johnny and Annell Gray, who live in Evans, are about to find out what it's like for Jack and Eloise Forrester, who live near the Augusta National. A new Wal-Mart is going up across the road from the Grays.

Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.