In the 1880s-90s, immigrants from Austria, Bohemia, Germany, Moravia, and Silesia came here for the rich farm land, and the community grew around a cotton gin built about 1883. A Catholic church and school operated at nearby Corn Hill. In 1890, a post office named Theon, from the Greek meaning "to God," opened. A rifle club sponsored dances, rifle contests, and other social events. Farmers organized a beef club, butchered meat monthly, and shared it with all families. After the post office and school closed, the cotton gin continued to serve the area.