The Unicoi Turnpike Trail has existed for over 1,000 years as a route linking Cherokee territories with the coastal ports of Charleston and Savannah. In 1756 British soldiers hauled weapons and supplies across it to establish Fort Loudoun. In the early 1800’s it was converted into a toll road and turnpike, and in 1838 more than 3,000 Cherokees traveled over the Unicoi Turnpike during the Trail of Tears. The route passes through Tennessee and North Carolina and is associated with sites including Fort Loudoun, Tellico Blockhouse, Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, Chato and Tanasi Memorials, Tellico Plains, Charles Hall Museum, Coker Creek, Unicoi Gap, Joe Brown Highway, Murphy, Cherokee County Historical Museum, Belltown (Cane Creek) Massacre, and the Trail of Tears, with a two and one-half mile section of the original roadbed at Coker Creek open for hiking.