Tellico Blockhouse The Tellico Blockhouse was an early American outpost located along the Little Tennessee River in Vonore , Monroe County , Tennessee . Completed in 1794 , the blockhouse operated until 1807 with the purpose of keeping the peace between nearby Overhill Cherokee towns and early Euro - American settlers in the area in the wake of the Chickamauga Wars . The Tellico Blockhouse was the site where several treaties were negotiated in which the Cherokee were induced to cede large portions of land in Tennessee and Georgia . During this period , the blockhouse was the site of official liaisons between the United States government and the Cherokee ( and , eventually , the Chickamauga ) . Geographic setting . The Tellico Blockhouse site is located at the junction of Nine Mile Creek and the Little Tennessee River ( now Tellico Lake ) , just off U . S . Route 411 between Maryville and Vonore . Fort Loudoun was located just across the river to the west , but was in ruins by the time the blockhouse was built . Although the Tellico Blockhouse originally stood on a high bluff overlooking the Little Tennessee valley , the impoundment of the river by Tellico Dam in 1979 pushed the river ' s present shoreline to within a few meters of the blockhouse site . The Overhill towns of Chota and Great Tellico were within a day ' s journey to the south . The river town of Morganton ( then known as " Portville " ) was within walking distance , and Knoxville was just over thirty miles downstream to the north . As there were no bridges spanning the Little Tennessee until the late 19th century , blockhouse officials crossed at Niles Ferry , which was located at the modern US - 411 bridge . The Tellico Blockhouse was the starting point for the Old Federal Road , which connected Knoxville to Cherokee settlements in Georgia . History . The second half of the 18th century saw a rapid expansion of European settlers into East Tennessee . This invariably brought them into conflict with the Cherokee , who had lived and hunted in the land for centuries . Random murders and scalpings became commonplace , and the settlers formed independent militias to carry out reprisal attacks . This violence reached a climax in 1793 , when the Cherokee attacked Henry ' s Station in Blount County , and the settlers responded by crossing Chilhowee Mountain and sacking the Cherokee village of Tallassee . Even as the Cherokee chief Hanging Maw was meeting with Governor William Blount to discuss bringing peace to the area , the chief ' s delegation was attacked by a band of settlers , killing several Cherokee headmen . With the violence spiraling out of control , Hanging Maw convinced Blount to construct a fort in the vicinity of the Overhill towns . The chief even donated the land . The Tellico Blockhouse was completed and garrisoned by federal troops from Knoxville in 1794 . John McKee , a surveyor in the area , was appointed the first Tellico Agent . The agent would be the official liaison between the United States government and the Cherokee Nation . The blockhouse itself was a crude fort that utilized earthworks and timber . Sawed planking was shipped upstream from Knoxville . Historian J . G . M . Ramsey gives the following description : . . . a strong work , of considerable size , with a projection on each square , furnished with port - holes , and calculated to stand a siege by an enemy provided with small arms only . The original blockhouse was approximately 120x100 feet , enclosed by a palisade approximately 16 feet high . The gate was on the north wall , with the captain ' s quarters and guardhouse just inside the gate . The original enclosure also contained two barracks , a well , and parade grounds . A watchtower stood at the northeast corner . In 1795 , Congress passed the Factory Act , which sought to improve relations with American Indians by setting up official trading posts and teaching the natives agricultural and mechanical techniques . To implement this , McKee ' s successor , Silas Dinsmoor , expanded the Tellico Blockhouse to nearly double its original size to incorporate a civilian half . This new section , separated by a wall from the military section , contained lodging areas for travelers and delegates and a two - story building known as the Tellico Factory . Along with a trading post where European - American tools and finished goods were traded for Native American furs and raw materials , the factory included a section where members of the new Cherokee Nation could learn mechanical arts and spinning and weaving cloth . In 1797 , one of the first recorded Christmas celebrations in Tennessee occurred at the Tellico Blockhouse when the Little Tennessee River froze over . On the night of December 25 , Dinsmoor and the federal garrison held a dinner party on the ice , later documented by Ramsey : On the 25th , a Christmas dinner was given upon the ice , by the Federal officers , at Tellico Block - house , to a large company of gentlemen and ladies . " Contiguous to the place of entertainment , two quarters of a bear were barbecued , where the ice was found to be , in thickness , sufficient to bare fire enough to have roasted an ox , without being materially weakened by the heat . " The Tellico Blockhouse probably reached the height of its activity around 1799 , due to its situation along the Old Federal Road . That same year , Louis - Philippe , Duke of Orleans and later king of France , paid a visit to the blockhouse . In 1800 , several Cherokee leaders convened at the blockhouse to debate whether or not to allow missionaries into the Cherokee towns . The Cherokees hoped the missionaries would provide educational services to their children . In the early 19th century , the encroachment of settlers slowly drove the Cherokee south to the Hiwassee River and on to Georgia . As the Overhill towns along the Little Tennessee River began to disperse , the Tellico Blockhouse ' s influence started to wane . In 1801 , Colonel Return J . Meigs took over as Cherokee agent , an appointment which effectively moved the agency to Fort Southwest Point ( modern Kingston , Tennessee ) , where Meigs was based . In 1805 , the last Tellico treaty called for the removal of the blockhouse garrison south to the Hiwassee River area . Archaeologists from the University of Tennessee conducted excavations at the Tellico Blockhouse site in the 1970s , and located the fort ' s foundations and a number of artifacts . Due to a lack of records , officials were unable to attempt a reconstruction of the blockhouse , but managed to reinforce the foundations with authentic fill material so visitors to the site can see the fort ' s layout . Short posts were erected to show the position of the blockhouse walls , and interpretive signs were placed at the site to explain the fort ' s brief history . The site is currently managed by the Fort Loudoun State Historic Area . Some of the artifacts recovered during the excavation are on display at the Frank H . McClung Museum in Knoxville . Treaties . Several treaties between the United States and the Cherokee Nation were negotiated at the Tellico Blockhouse :