 The town was surveyed by Perrin Kent and platted by County Agent Luther Tillotson on July 8, 1828, on a tract of land which had been donated to the county by a local landowner named Hollingsworth.Tillotson laid out seven full blocks of eight lots each, four half blocks of four lots each, and a public square of .On August 5, 1828, the lots were sold at public auction for between $10 and $20 each, during which free whiskey was served at the county's expense, "probably to loosen the tongue of the auctioneer or 'crier' and the generosity of the buyers".