The Lewis-Sample Farmstead took its name from the Lewis and Sample families, two owners since European-descended settlers began moving into Butler County in the late 1700s. Andrew Lewis and Martha Lewis acquired the land in 1804 after Andrew had seen the rich land north of the Ohio River while serving in the army during the Ohio Indian Wars of the 1790s. By 1834, the farmstead had expanded to more than 350 acres and included a brick house, still house, and sawmill on Indian Creek. The Sample family bought the farm in 1871 and owned it until 2007. American Indians had lived in this area since around 13,000 BCE, beginning with Paleoindian cultures, followed by Archaic cultures, and later the Adena and Hopewell cultures. Archaeological surveys have recorded more than 250 Adena and Hopewell mounds in Butler County, though many were destroyed by farming, and several earthworks in Reily and Hanover Townships include a six-foot-tall mound on the farm.