Barton was settled as a station along the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad. It was originally known as Barton Depot or Barton Station. Barton was founded in 1906 and named for Armistead Barton, a businessman from Tuscumbia who built
Barton Hall and owned land in the area. Between December 1862 and October 1863, several skirmishes took place in Barton as part of the
American Civil War.
Confederate forces sought to prevent the
Union Army from invading the
Tennessee Valley from their stronghold in
Corinth, Mississippi. On December 12, 1862, the
1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment under the command of Col.
T. W. Sweeny engaged troops under the command of Col.
Phillip Roddey. On April 17, 1863, the 1st Alabama Cavalry and
10th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry under the command of
Gen. Grenville M. Dodge fought CSA forces under the command of Col. Roddey. October 20, 1863 saw the
3d Cavalry Regiment,
5th Ohio Cavalry, and
Landgraeber's Battery under the command of Gen.
Peter Joseph Osterhaus engage CSA forces under the command of Col. Jeff Forrest. On October 25, 1863, Union forces, including the
13th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and
76th Ohio Infantry under the command of Gen. Osterhaus fought CSA forces commanded by
Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee. A post office was operated in Barton from 1859 to 1972. ==Notable person==