Lewisburg took its name from the explorer Meriwether Lewis. By 1838 the town was supporting a newspaper and a bank and boasted a population of 2000 qualified voters with over three million dollars in assets of land, houses, slaves, and livestock.

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, most families lived on farms and made a living by producing row crops or raising livestock. The railroad, which first ran west to east across the county, helped to establish Lewisburg as a retail and industrial community. A county road system set up in 1933 and Interstate 65, which followed in 1966, have provided excellent transportation for residents and for industry. The pencil industry and the walking horse breeder's registry helped to establish Lewisburg in global markets. Today several ancillary industries to nearby automobile manufacturing plants have facilities in Lewisburg.