In 1813, Colonel John Coffee and 800 Tennessee Volunteers saw the Bear Meat Cabin Cherokee Settlement near Blountsville. In 1816, the town settled around the square, and in 1820 the newly named Blountsville became the county seat. The town was incorporated with the Trustee System in 1827, its first courthouse was built in 1833, and in 1853 it was incorporated with a new system and immediately un-incorporated. Civil War activity included the Forrest-Streight Raid in 1863 and the Rousseau Raid in 1864, followed by Reconstruction unrest from 1865 to 1871. In 1880, croquet dominated Court Square activities. A new courthouse built by Otto Puls appeared in 1888, and 1889 brought the controversial removal of the county seat as well as the town's incorporation with the Mayor-Alderman System. Blount College opened in the courthouse building in 1890, its structure burned down in 1895, and Court Square Park and Promenade was established in 1899. Bains Store was built on the courthouse/park site in 1905. A large ceremony honored a World War I draftee in 1917, and an Armistice Day bonfire started a countywide parade in 1919. A business block burned in 1947, a Saturday merchant-sponsored airplane ping-pong ball drop began in 1950, the Harvest Festival began in 1956, and 1966 saw both a large dedication ceremony for the Avenue of Flags and the first Town Hall built. In 2010, the Court Square Sidewalk Park and Promenade was re-established.