Greene County, older than the state, was named for Revolutionary hero General Nathaniel Greene, who drove the British from the Southeast. The area was explored by DeSoto in 1540, claimed as French Louisiana in 1699, ceded to England in 1763, ceded by the Choctaw Nation in 1816, and made a territorial county in 1819. Eutaw, the county seat, was named for Greene’s victory at Eutaw Springs, South Carolina.