Formerly known as Hatobi, meaning Man-Killer in Choctaw, Smithville was renamed in 1890 for pioneer Joshua Smith. It was a center of Choctaw settlement and activity in the early period. The Folsom Training School operated here from 1921 to 1933 and was named for Choctaw minister Willis Folsom, with W.B. Hubbell serving as superintendent. The Sealey Methodist chapel was built on the Folsom campus in 1925 and was named for generous donor and former student Sealey Alexander. A nearby salt lick inspired the name of Big Lick Presbyterian Church, established here since the 1830s.