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European settlers arrived in what is now Lewis County in 1769. They were mainly of Scotch-Irish, German, and English descent, including people such as John Hacker and Jesse Hughes, who fought Indians.
The first courts in Lewis County were held in 1816 in Westfield. A year later, the county bought land from pioneer Henry Flesher to build a new government center. This area was first called Preston, then Fleshersville, and finally Weston in 1819.
In its first 30 years, Lewis County's economy was mainly based on farming. Poor roads made it hard to trade. In the 1840s, new turnpikes helped businesses grow, and Lewis County became an important center for trade and politics. The town of Jane Lew was founded, Weston got its first church in 1844, the first newspaper came out in 1846, the first bank opened in 1852, and the first school was built in 1855.
