In 1773, the McAfee brothers, James McCoun, Jr. and Samuel Adams were the first white men to explore this area. In 1794, Cove Spring and Cove Spring Branch were in the Franklin County boundary line. On October 9, 1862, Maj. Gen. Kirby Smith, CSA, and his troops camped here on their way to join General Bragg, the only known time the spring's supply was exhausted.