A post office was established in this community on November 7, 1872, and it was named for William E. Brunson, Sr., who donated the site. Brunson was chartered in 1874. The Town Hall, built in 1906, originally stood on stilts and covered the town's artesian well. Brunson's school system traces its origin to the 1800s to Pineville Academy and Brunson Graded & Military School.