Before 1820, Dr. Daniel Smith Webb started a gristmill and sawmill along the Little Hatchie River in Wade Creek Valley.

The area would eventually have a two churches, a subscription school, a stagecoach stop and an inn between Bolivar and Purdy.

An artesian well was drilled in 1915 near the depot and was the first of its kind in the United States.

The first home was built by Finley Holyfield in 1919 and by 1923 the town had earned the name "the village of artesian wells," with nine in total.

A number of early 20th century homes still stand in the area and the remains of Crainville are still visible just east of town.

[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), all land.

20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.