Lightstreet was originally called Williamsburg. The community was laid out in 1817 by Phillip Seidle. By 1821, the community had six residents. One gristmill was built in Lightstreet in 1823. It was rebuilt in 1868 by Peter Ent. Samuel L. Bettle built another gristmill south of the first mill in 1825. A post office was built in the vicinity of the northern gristmill by Matthew McDowell. Both of the gristmills were run by Fishing Creek's water power. There were also once two iron furnaces in Lightstreet. One of the furnaces was built in 1845. The community was also once home to two distilleries and a tannery.
Lightstreet's name was changed to what it is now in 1844 by Marmaduke Pearce.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
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