The path now known as the Unicoi Turnpike Trail has existed for over 1,000 years. The earliest European maps of the area noted it as a connector between Cherokee territories and the coastal ports of Charleston and Savannah. In 1756 British soldiers hauled weapons and supplies across the trail to establish Fort Loudoun. In the early 1800s the trail was converted into a toll road and turnpike. In 1838 over 3,000 Cherokees traveled over the Unicoi Turnpike during the Trail of Tears.