Highway 19 was one of the
original state highways, designated in 1926. The route began where
US 79 currently crosses the Louisiana state line, and ran north along present-day US 79 to Magnolia. Upon designation, the highway continued north to
Prescott via
Waldo and
Rosston, roughly along today's alignment of US 371 between the communities. In Prescott, the route began a short overlap with Highway 24 to the northwest before splitting and terminating at Highway 26 in Delight. Between 1938 and 1939, the northern terminus was extended north to its original terminus in Prescott, and the southern terminus was extended along the route's current alignment to the Louisiana state line along the former
Highway 3. Upon completion of Narrows Dam in 1951, a paved road was built to the structure from Murfreesboro, but was not initially designated a state highway. By 1953, the road had received the Highway 19 designation it carries today. It is the fact that Highway 26 formerly served as a northern terminus that possibly explains why Highway 26, not Highway 19, is the primary route from Delight to Murfreesboro
despite having a lower number. ==Major intersections==