Unicoi State Park was originally named after the Unicoi Turnpike, which was a toll road used in the 1830’s to bring the first white settlers to the area and ran completely through Cherokee territory. The Cherokee word “unega” (unicoi) means “white”, so the meaning of Unicoi is a “Place of the White”. It has also been interpreted as the “New Way” and “The New Beginning”. This probably came from the turnpike road that a majority of settlers used for a transportation route.