Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it includes major earthwork mounds built about 1100–1350 CE by peoples of the sophisticated Mississippian culture.

At that time the historical Creek tribe inhabited the southern two thirds of what is now defined as Georgia, west of the Low Country.

They maintained their territory until after European American settlers arrived in increasing number in the early decades of the 19th century.

[5] Settlers developed the area as large cotton plantations, part of the "Black Belt" of Georgia and the Deep South.

[9] After the war and emancipation, cotton continued as the major commodity crop and additional territory was developed by planters for cultivation.

[5] Inappropriate farming practices and over-cultivation of cotton from before the Civil War led to extensive land erosion by the early 20th century.

Up to the mid century, many blacks left the area in two waves of the Great Migration, seeking escape from Jim Crow conditions, and jobs and better lives in northern and midwestern industrial cities.

Stewart was the first rural county in the state to use historic preservation and Main Street redevelopment to support heritage tourism.

[10] The county is mainly located in the upper Gulf coastal plain region of the state, with a few hills due to its close proximity to the fall line.

About 800 acres (3.2 km2) of the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge are located along the Chattahoochee River's eastern shores in Stewart County.