Cumberland County was established in 1798 from Green County. Later, between 1800 and 1860, parts of Wayne, Monroe, Russell, Clinton, and Metcalfe counties were taken from its original territory. The first known white men were here in 1769, and Daniel Boone explored the area in 1771. Burkesville, laid out in 1798 on land owned by Samuel Burks, became a vital riverport for timber and farm produce during the steamboat era.