Lauderdale County was founded February 6, 1818 and the City of Florence, March 12, 1818.
The Trustees of the Cypress Land Company held a sale of public lands July 22, 1818. A map of lots which were available for purchase by Ferdinand Sannoner included those designated for churches, schools and public use. The City of Florence was incorporated in 1826.
Settlers moving into the region brought with them music, folklore, traditions and stories which became part of the Muscle Shoals history and heritage. The early settlers were from Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. Settlement patterns included Finnish, Scots, Irish, Greek, German, and African-American traditions. Writer Anne Newport Royalle described life at nearby Meltons Bluff in the early 1820s by noting that one of the people she met played the flute and sang and another who had the best voice she had ever heard.
Industrial growth of this period was concentrated in the area known as Sweetwater. Employees were part of the growing industrial community as schools, churches, meeting facilities with ball teams, brass bands, dances all creating a distinctive neighborhood identity.
Paddle boats and steamboats moved people, goods and supplies on the river. The Rocket navigated the Tennessee River as far as Florence in 1822. Railroad and stagecoach routes intersected to move travelers throughout the region. Roads such as the Natchez Trace not only provided a way for travelers to move about the region, but offered hospitality and entertainment to the traveler along the way. Music was an important part of the entertainment offered to the traveler.