Poison Creek was so called on account of a spring of water, which is said to have produced the death of one of the earliest hunters who drank of it. This was about the time of the survey, 1805. 

Uriah Cummings also conducted a corn-mill and distillery four or five miles from Rome, on Poison Creek, for several years, at a very early day. Everybody, men, women and children, drank liquor at that early day, when they could get it. It was thought to be one of the necessities of life, and was on every sideboard, and no reaping, corn-husking, shooting-match, house-raising or log-rolling could be carried on unless it was present. The drink was regarded as necessary to the system. Some people appear to think so yet. Their name is Legion. Riggs owned and operated an early corn-mill on Poison Creek. John Hargis conducted a horse-mill and a distillery on Poison Creek.