Around 1800, William Whaley (1788-1880) and his brother Middleton Whaley (1794-1855) became the first permanent Euro-American settlers in Greenbrier. The Whaleys hailed from Edgefield District, South Carolina, and crossed the crest of the Smokies at Dry Sluice Gap (near Charlies Bunion), which is just above Porters Flat. William Whaley settled at the confluence of Porters Creek and the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River. Middleton settled further down the valley, near Emert's Cove.