Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the area that became Lineville, but the Creek Indian War of 1812 resulted in their removal. The first white settlers were William and Thomas Lundie, and their community became known as Lundie's Cross Roads after a trading post opened in the 1830s to serve pioneers and miners searching for gold. In 1856, Lundie's Cross Roads became known as County Line, probably for the Baptist Church founded in 1848 on what was then the boundary between Talladega and Randolph County. Also in 1856, a post office was established, schools were consolidated, and corn and cotton became cash crops. In the 1860s, some 56 area men were interred in the Old Lineville Cemetery. By the end of the Civil War, Confederate money had become useless and the area suffered hardships. Clay County was formed in 1866, and in 1870 the town's name was changed from County Line to Lineville when it became the temporary seat of government for Clay County. The press came to Lineville in 1884. A secondary college opened in 1891 with H. J. Willingham as president and first appointed mayor. In 1898, Lineville was incorporated, graphite mining became a major industry, and National Bank began operating there. In 1907, the first railroad began operating in Lineville, the timber and lumber industry expanded, and mandated high schools opened. Lineville received water and electricity in 1917, and that same year the old Springhill Black School was replaced with a new building named Clay County Training School. In 1929, during the Great Depression, Lineville families lost farms and many businesses failed. A new factory began operation in 1946, and in 1949 a hospital was built there.