Boekerton started in the late 1700s as Spanish Mill, a settlement on the Little River. It was a center of commerce because ships could travel between the Mississippi and St. Francis River through here. The earthquakes of 1811-12 destroyed the village and cut off its access to these rivers. Later, in 1840, the town was re-established as Weaverville by John Weaver and a "pole road" connecting Clarkton and Weaverville was built. In the 1920s the town was renamed Boekerton.