Picketville, one of Stephens County's first white settlements, was founded before the Civil War on Gunsolus Creek. During the war, lacking military defense, families gathered there for protection against hostile Indian attacks. Its name probably derived from picket construction, in which tree limbs were placed on end and chinked with mud. Picketville served as the county seat until Breckenridge was settled in 1876, after which the town declined and only a cemetery remained. After many graves were accidentally destroyed, Boy Scout troops restored and fenced the site.