About 1830, settlers from the Carolinas and Virginia came to this area in search of fertile land and staked claims to adjoining plantations near what became Thomaston. In 1890, Dr. Charles Brooks Thomas bought the plantation where Thomaston is located and sought to turn his land into a thriving town. In 1892, he was appointed postmaster and the community was named Thomaston in his honor. The town was incorporated in February, 1901 with a population of 51 people and Dr. Thomas as its first mayor, and the railroad arrived the same year. Dr. Thomas then had the land surveyed and the town laid out. Planters Bank and Trust Company was established in 1914, telephone service began in 1914, and electricity came in 1929. In 1949, the town limits were extended and the population rose to more than 1000. As the population grew, Thomaston installed streetlights, paved and marked its streets, added water and gas systems, and organized a volunteer fire department. Beginning in the 1950's, a yearly barbeque served “Good Ole Thomaston Barbeque.” The Alabama Rural Heritage Foundation, sponsor of the Pepper Jelly Festival, was established in 1986. The 2000 census showed a population of 383.