Bland was named in honor of Richard Bland. Bland, however, wasn't the town's original name. The Crab Orchard Creek, which runs through a meadow donated by James Wayne for the county, is the reason why Bland was first called Crab Orchard. Then later, the town became known as Seddon, which was set in honor of James Alexander Seddon. In March of 1861, the town's name was officially changed to Bland.
The first Post Office was opened in 1851. At that time, there were numerous industries and businesses in the early times of Bland. These included blacksmith, printing, wagon and harness, shoemaker, and a tannery shop. Three hotels once operated in Bland. The Lee House or Dodd House stood on Main Street nearby the Court House. The Lee House is shown in the second picture from the bottom on the right side of the page. The Virginia House was located on "Back Street" or Jackson Street. The thrid hotel was The Fannon Hotel; it also stood on Main Street.