Hendrysburg was laid out by Charles Hendry in 1828, shortly after the National Road was completed through the area. Hendry had erected a steam flouring mill that attracted many people, leading to the town’s establishment. Many houses were built along the National Road and extended over a quarter of a township section. The first log houses were later replaced by frame and brick buildings. It is claimed that the first building in Hendrysburg other than the log cabins was built by William Tidball, who operated a mercantile business there. Nearby, John McCartney, a native of Ireland born in 1789, built McCartney Tavern in 1826 about a half mile west of Hendrysburg, and that same year he built an S-bridge spanning Spencer Creek near the tavern. The bridge was straightened in 1933 and used for several years afterward before being buried in a fill of earth made necessary by road improvements, though it was never totally demolished and some original stones, covered with concrete, may still be found on the bank. A plank or corduroy road improved travel across low or swampy ground by laying logs perpendicular to the road’s direction. Hendrysburg was also the birthplace of William Lawrence Boyd, born in 1895, who became famous as the film actor Hopalong Cassidy. In 1935, after being offered the supporting role of Red Country in Hop-Along Cassidy, Boyd asked to be considered for the title role and won it. The character, originally created by Clarence E. Mulford for pulp fiction, was changed from a hard-drinking, rough-living wrangler into a cowboy hero who did not smoke, swear, or drink alcohol and who always let the bad guy start the fight. Though Boyd never branded a cow or mended a fence, could not bulldog a steer, and disliked Western music, he became closely identified with the role and achieved lasting fame in Western films. The Hopalong Cassidy series ended in 1948 after 66 films, with Boyd producing the last 12.