Old Federal Road

<br><br>The earliest vehicular and postal route from northwest Georgia was the Federal Road, which led from the southeast Cherokee boundary, in the direction of Athens, Georgia to Tennessee; a Y-shaped thoroughfare, it forked at Ramhurst toward Knoxville and Nashville. The western prong passed Spring Place, running northwestward by Ringgold and Rossville.<br><br> Rights of the white people to use this way were formally granted by the Cherokees in the 1805 Treaty of Tellico. Prior to that time the trace had served as a trading path to Augusta.<br><br> James Vann of Spring Place was instrumental in opening the Federal Road. he established the ferry where the highway crossed the Chattahoochee in Forsyth County.<br><br> The second post office in northwest Georgia was opened on this route at Spring Place on November 15, 1819 with John Gambold as postmaster.