The Greenbrier Company, led by land speculators like the Lewis family, played a key role in settling the Greenbrier Valley. Granted 100,000 acres in 1745, it promoted settlement through surveys by Andrew Lewis.

Indian attacks during the French and Indian War forced many to flee, but settlers returned in the 1760s. The company faced legal disputes over squatters and conflicting land claims, yet it fared better than others, using political ties to defend its claims and profit from land sales.