The Treaty of 1805 between the United States and the Cherokee Nation established the Old Federal Road. The road extended from the Tellico Blockhouse on the Little Tennessee River to the towns of Madisonville and Columbus, Tennessee. This route linked the states of Tennessee and Georgia for carrying mail and commerce. There was a postal stop in McMinn County in the small town of Cantrell's Crossroads, which later became Williamsburg. The postmaster, James D. Williams, owned a home along the road approximately one mile north of this spot.