Driskill Mountain was named for James Christopher Driskill, who was born in Hancock County, Georgia, on June 17, 1817. He married Eugenia Irwin Walker in 1840, sold his land in Georgia in October 1859, and moved with his wife, eight sons, and one daughter to Louisiana. In December 1859 he bought approximately 320 acres from Nathan P. Smith, including Driskill Mountain. On June 26, 1883, he sold the trustees of the Mount Zion congregation a two-acre parcel for $5 on the condition that they and their successors erect Mount Zion Presbyterian Church and Driskill Memorial Cemetery as a permanent place of worship forever. On these 320 acres, James and Eugenia raised their large family. One son was killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, and another son, James B. Driskill, disappeared after leaving Louisiana to fight in the Civil War. Many of James Driskill's descendants still live in the area today.