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Before 1800, European-American settlers moved into this area and started towns like Beaver Pond, Lake Shawnee, Oakvale, and Flat Top. There were no Indians living here when the Europeans arrived, but there were still conflicts with Indian raiders in the late 1700s. More settlers, including a group of Primitive Baptists from Camp Creek, brought the population to 2,000 by 1837. Mercer County was formed in 1837 from parts of Giles and Tazewell counties. The people mainly farmed corn, oats, and wheat, and they built a self-sustaining economy with businesses like saltworks, a tannery, a gristmill, and a foundry.
