Cornersville was originally setted in 1807 by John Haynes. Soon after, William Henderson and others began to move into the area. In 1827, the town was surveyed and plotted by Sam Bigham and was named "Marathon". On January 7, 1830, the town was incorporated and the name changed to Cornersville in recognition of its location near the point where the boundary lines of Giles, Maury, Bedford and Lincoln Counties cornered. Cornersville was initially in Giles County, but in 1870 the state legislature changed this with a formal petition.