Buena Vista was originally named Germany by the area's first settler, Andrew Rikard, who arrived in 1818 with his family from South Carolina and was of German descent. His son Jake established Rikard's Mill, which still operates approximately 2 miles east on Flat Creek. In 1846, J. W. Perrin changed the village's name to Buena Vista after fighting in the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American War, and in 1847 he became Buena Vista's first permanent postmaster, serving until 1861. Other early families in the area included the Middletons, Kearleys, Nettles, Lindseys, Dukes, and Laceys, and the James Finklea family also migrated there. During the Civil War, John James "Jack" Finklea, James Finklea's son, kept store for Capt. Malcome Patterson, who was killed in service. After the war, using $140.00 his father had left him, Jack rented the Patterson store, married, and eventually became postmaster. The post office operated between 1846 and 1976, and Jack Finklea became a driving force behind a well-established town. Today Finklea descendants are active in restoring many of the town's dwellings, and in 1977 Buena Vista was placed on the Alabama Historical Register.