In the late 1870’s, James A. Brown began operating a store and ferry at this site on rented property. In 1881, he bought the land from S. P. Gantt, and the store became a stop on the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad. Two years later, Brown was authorized to open a post office in his store, which was named Hatton for the young federal postal officer who signed the authorizing documents. The ferry is one of only two poled ferries still functioning in the continental United States.
