At the end of 1885, the railway reached where the town now lies, before which the area was named after the contractor Harrison's Camp.

A memorial to those from the area who lost their lives in World War I opened on the church grounds near the entrance on 26 January 1992.

The Nottingham Road Farmers' Association, one of the oldest agricultural societies in South Africa, was founded on 26 October 1887 by 11 prominent local citizens in the Railway Hotel.

Livestock theft by local San people led to the 1869 Reprisal launched from Fort Nottingham.

The campaign, which established the boundaries in the settlers' favor, was commemorated in some of the final San rock art.