With the opening of the National Road through this area, small communities began to be established along the route, including Casey. The first settler was John Lang, a native of Scotland, who arrived from Ohio with his family in 1838 and bought several plots along West Main Street, where he established a cabin and tavern, the first building in present Casey. After several years, this lot became the setting for Lang's National House, a two story frame hotel that was a popular stagecoach stop and local gathering site. It was one of the earliest and most prestigious establishments in Casey and one of the principal hotels in Clark County. Directly across the street stood the Lang Barn, where the cross-country stagecoach stopped to change horses. After Lang's death in 1872, his children managed the establishments until about 1892. During this period, as the community grew, the town of Casey was established in 1853 and named after Zadok Casey of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, a U.S. Senator who was an influential and popular American politician.