Scottsburg was founded in 1854 in the low lands of the Kings River at Poole's Crossing. In 1858, W. W. Hills established Hills Ferry at Poole's Crossing. The ferry and the town were destroyed in the winter of 1861-1862. It was rebuilt on higher ground, but it was flooded again in 1867. The town was rebuilt on top of a bluff overlooking its prior location and renamed Centerville.