Founded on the old State Road established by Congress, which connected St. Louis to the capital in Jefferson City and later became known as Historic Route 66, Pond grew as a village where original settler Cyrus Speers, who came to the area in 1831, kept a store and tavern for many years. The village also included a hotel, two blacksmith shops, and a whip manufactory. Other notable settlers of the area were the Hillenkamps, Dreinhofers, Rengstorffs, Hillebrands, and Essens. Emma Essen and her sister maintained the Pond Hotel in 1911. Pond has always been a commerce center, with many of its current businesses now housed in remaining historic buildings.