Tellico Blockhouse

Tellico Blockhouse, built in 1794 on the Little Tennessee River near present-day Vonore, began as a United States frontier outpost between the Overhill Cherokee towns and expanding Euro-American settlement after the Cherokee–American wars. Encouraged by Cherokee chief Hanging Maw and garrisoned by federal troops, it soon became both a military and diplomatic center. John McKee and later Silas Dinsmoor oversaw its role as an Indian agency and trading post, where travelers, delegates, and Cherokee visitors gathered. Most importantly, several treaties were negotiated there, ending warfare in 1794 but also leading to major Cherokee land cessions in 1798, 1804, and 1805 before the post closed by 1807.

Vonore, Tennessee · United States