Around 1793, Samuel Bryan, a nephew of Daniel Boone, found salt water here. John Grant, another Boone nephew, and Charles Morgan helped him drill a well that supplied salt to the interior of Kentucky. The territory was owned by John Grant and named for him. John Breckinridge, who also claimed land in the area, formed a partnership with Grant, and in 1804 James Taylor became the third partner. The first Court of Quarter Sessions met in John Grant's home in nearby Wilmington in June 1795. James Taylor was appointed the first clerk of Campbell County, and Samuel Bryan was among those appointed justices of the peace. Grant was authorized to keep a ferry and build a mill, and all three men took part in marking out and planning local roads.