Bevilport was an important river navigation point from 1830 to 1860. Established by John Bevil, it was first named in his honor in 1834, with Bevilport as seat of justice. It was a mail station in 1835, county seat of Jasper County from 1836 to 1837, and was incorporated on June 5, 1837. It remained a business and social center until the Civil War.