In 1890 J. W. Brassfield set up a post office to serve Seal Rock and Beaver Creek and also ran a hotel there. The hotel stood by the highway, which cut through a shell mound or midden. The town was named Seal Rock because many seals once made their home there. By 1909, Seal Rock was a small resort, and one of its early residents was Mrs. George Ryan, known as the "Vegetable Lady."