Great State Road
Sep 10, 2023, 10:28 PM
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Welcome to the newest section of Murphy’s River Walk Trail.
This portion of the trail roughly follows a section of the Great State Road, constructed in 1837 to connect Blairsville, Georgia, with Franklin, North Carolina. This wagon road passed through this area and connected a series of forts built in anticipation of the Cherokee removal.
One of those forts, Fort Butler, was located here in Murphy.
The exact location of this road is well documented. The original roadbeds are still visible in some areas, though many sections have been erased by later road or railroad construction.
In this area, the Great State Road followed the banks of the Valley River between present-day Murphy and Andrews, North Carolina. Crossing the Valley River near this spot, it passed through the area that would later become downtown Murphy, before another river crossing near the site of Fort Butler.
Though historical accounts do not specifically mention this road as part of the Cherokee removal, it was almost certainly used to transport the Cherokee people to Fort Butler from points east.
This portion of the trail roughly follows a section of the Great State Road, constructed in 1837 to connect Blairsville, Georgia, with Franklin, North Carolina. This wagon road passed through this area and connected a series of forts built in anticipation of the Cherokee removal.
One of those forts, Fort Butler, was located here in Murphy.
The exact location of this road is well documented. The original roadbeds are still visible in some areas, though many sections have been erased by later road or railroad construction.
In this area, the Great State Road followed the banks of the Valley River between present-day Murphy and Andrews, North Carolina. Crossing the Valley River near this spot, it passed through the area that would later become downtown Murphy, before another river crossing near the site of Fort Butler.
Though historical accounts do not specifically mention this road as part of the Cherokee removal, it was almost certainly used to transport the Cherokee people to Fort Butler from points east.