Scottville’s recorded history began in 1874 when the town was mapped as a station on the Pere Marquette’s Railroad. It was first called Mason Center because of its central location in the county.
Later, the area was renamed Sweetland, after James Sweetland, who built a sawmill here in 1878. Sweetland sold the mill a year later to Hiram Scott. Scott officially platted the land in 1882 and named it after himself. It was incorporated as a village in 1889 and as a city in 1907.
Today, Scottville remains an agricultural center, a place of scenic beauty, and the Cross Roads of Mason County.