Coffee Road as it became known, was a supply trail cut through the southern Georgia frontier by General John E. Coffee, with the help of Thomas Swain. After establishing the counties of Early, Irwin, and Appling in 1819, the Georgia General Assembly approved construction of the road December 23rd 1822 with funds of $1,500. The trail was built in the early 1820s and ran from Jacksonville, GA through Metcalf on to Tallahassee, Florida. The trail was approximately three feet wide (0.91 m), and made by 1,000 slaves that belonged to the government. This was the first vehicular path through the region. The trail was initially built to carry munitions of war to Florida Territory to fight the Indians during the Creek Wars, but was later used by settlers moving into the Georgia frontier. There were no bridges or ditches and only private ferry crossings.