Braxton originated in the late nineteenth century around the medical clinic and later residence of Dr. E. L. Standifer, who moved there from the Cato Community, and when a post office was established the community was named for his son, Ira Braxton Standifer. Dr. Standifer's house, spared by the Braxton Cyclone, still stands. Around the turn of the century, the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad was built through the area, and on December 19, 1901, the town was incorporated and chartered by Governor A. H. Longino. By 1921, Braxton was among the fastest growing rural areas in the state, but at 2:30 p.m. on April 26, 1921, the Braxton Cyclone devastated the community, destroying the entire business district, both churches, the school house, the railroad station, and most homes. The Great Depression followed this disaster. Piney Woods School, adjacent to Braxton, became nationally known, and in the early 1920s Professor Lawrence C. Jones was met and received in Braxton when he came to found the school, with many Braxton families supporting and encouraging him. Though Braxton never fully recovered from the combined devastation of the cyclone and the depression, it remains a lively and progressive community and one of the four incorporated municipalities in the county, serving as the northern terminus and information center for the Simpson County Heritage Trail.