Rutherford County came into existence in 14 APR 1779 during the American Revolution. Prior to 1779,
Rutherford County was formerly part of Tryon County. Tryon County was formed from
Mecklenburg County in 1768 and abolished in 1779 to form Rutherford
and Lincoln counties. At its formation and until the border survey of 1772, Tryon County included
all or portions of the South Carolina counties of York, Chester, Union,
Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.

Tryon County was named for William Tryon, the Royal Governor of the Province.
William Tryon was a Major General in command of the American Loyalists.
His oppressions of the inhabitants made his name so detestable, the General Assembly
in 1779 blotted the name of Tryon from the list of counties and divided the teritory into the
counties of Lincoln and Rutherford. The eastern portion becoming Lincoln County
and the western portion becoming Rutherford County.

Rutherford County was named in honor of Griffith Rutherford (of Rowan County), a Brigadier-General in the
American Revolution.  Rutherford led the expedition that crushed the Cherokees in 1776.  The act
establishing the county provided that the first court be held at the home of Joseph Walker and the
justices were to decide on the most convenient place to hold succeeding courts until a courthouse could be erected.

In 1791 parts of Rutherford County and Burke County were combined to form Buncombe County.
In 1841 parts of Rutherford County and Lincoln County were combined to form Cleveland County.
In 1842 additional parts of Rutherford County and Burke County were combined to form McDowell County.
Finally, in 1855 parts of Rutherford County and Henderson County were combined to form Polk County.

Commissioners were named to select a place for the county seat. In 1781 an act was passed stating
that the original act had not been fully carried out and that the previous commissioners had failed to
erect a courthouse even though they had selected the land of James Holland in the fork of Shepard's Creek.
The act authorized the commissioners to purchase fifty acres of land from James Holland and erect the buildings.
In 1784 an act was passed which stated that the place selected by the commissioners was not convenient;
therefore, new commissioners were named to survey the county, locate the center, purchase land and
erect the public buildings. In 1787 Rutherford was established on the land purchased for the county seat.
Two acres were reserved for the public buildings.
Rutherfordton was incorporated in 1793 and is the county seat.

Many of the county's early settlers were of Scotts-Irish origin from Pennsylvania.

"The lines were drawn by a line beginning at the south line near Broad River,
thence along the dividing ridge between
Buffalo Creek and Little Broad River to the line of Burke County".
Alfred Nixon, THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET, VOL. IX, January 1910, No. 3,
THE HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY, PAGES 111-187