Lyles Station was settled in the late 1840s by Joshua and Sanford Lyles, former slaves from Tennessee. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, in place since 1860, and schools operating from 1865 to 1958 played important roles in sustaining the community. On land donated by Joshua Lyles, railroad companies maintained a station circa 1870 to the 1950s for passenger, freight, and mail service. The community was named Lyles Station in 1886 and declined after widespread flooding in 1913. It remains probably the most intact African-American settlement in the state, and several present residents are descendants of the original settlers. Lyles Consolidated School, built in 1919, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, and restoration began in 2001.