John and Ollie (Cox) Mullins and their children, the first permanent settlers of European descent in this area, came here from North Carolina about 1829. The family lived along Holly Creek and claimed thousands of acres of land in the vicinity. Mullins's father, also named John Mullins, was reputed to have fought at the Battle of King's Mountain (1780) during the Revolutionary War. He spent his last years here with his son and died in 1849. Both father and son are buried on nearby knolls. The town of Holly Creek, later known as Clintwood, became the seat of Dickenson County in 1882. Many Mullins descendants reside in the county.