The town was named after Eli Shugart, a 19th-century tavern keeper. Sugartown is a typical crossroads village that provides goods and services to the surrounding farm community. It played an important part in the development of Willistown. It contains an inn, general store, blacksmith and wheelwright, cabinetmaker, saddler, shoemaker and a doctor.The Sugartown Historic District is a national historic district that encompasses 14 contributing buildings.