Established in 1821, Johnstonville was the first county seat of Monroe County. It was named for the Johnston family, which came here from South Carolina. The old home place of John Johnston, the original settler, is still standing and still in the family. In 1821, Monroe County extended from Houston County to Fayette County and from the Ocmulgee to the Flint rivers. Later both Bibb and Pike counties were formed largely from it, and Pike was subsequently further divided into Spalding, Upson, and Butts counties.