Alvin C. York was born in nearby Pall Mall in 1887, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 in the All-American Division, and became an outstanding hero of World War I. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Croix De Gurerre for killing 25 of the enemy and single-handedly capturing 132. He later established the Alvin C. York Institute for the education of mountain children. After a lifetime of public service, he died in 1964 and is buried at Wolf River Cemetery in Pall Mall.