From the 18th century, the State Road from Charleston and the Road to Dorchester met near here, linking Charleston to the South Carolina interior. Travelers from Charleston crossed Goose Creek two miles south before reaching this point. By the early 18th century, a tavern complex had developed here that provided travelers with room, board, pasturage, and services including coopering and blacksmithing. By the turn of the 19th century, Lewis Breaker owned the business, and later Carston Vose, who also owned the Oaks Plantation, ran the tavern. In April 1865, African American troops of the 55th MA Infantry camped nearby, skirmished with Confederate cavalry, and liberated slaves living on nearby plantations. After the war, the Road to Dorchester was abandoned and a farm family occupied the site.