Evergreen was founded officially in 1819 when Revolutionary War veteran James Cosey and several other men settled within the present limits of the city.

The Reverend Alexander Travis first called the town by its present name of Evergreen for the abundance of surrounding green foliage, plants, and ferns.

[3] The former county seat of Sparta was burned in a federal raid during the Civil War.

On November 7, 1895, fire destroyed every business and house located on the east side of the railroad.

[3] The first female pilot in the U. S. Navy, Barbara Allen Rainey, crashed and died in 1982 near Evergreen.

[14] The town hosts an annual Collard Green Festival to acknowledge the designation.

The title was awarded by a city councilman during the annual Collard Green Festival.