The Oliver Springs Community originated from a 5,000-acre grant issued to Stockley Donelson on June 17, 1790, Grant No. 74 from the State of NC for land on Poplar Creek. Donelson received other grants that today constitute much of the land around the Oliver Springs region. Some of these include: 1,500 acres that are now downtown Oak Ridge, 1,000 acres on East Fork in Roane County about 1.5 miles west of the Anderson County line, 3,000 acres in the Old Wheat Area (including the Mill Site), and a 50,000-acre grant in 1795 for the land between the Tennessee and Clinch River's conflux.

Stockley Donelson's success in attaining so many grants was partially due to being born into a wealthy family, and as a result of gaining powerful connections. His father, John Donelson, ran a successful flotilla of boats up and down the Mississippi River in the 1780s. John Donelson settled in what is now the Nashville area as one of the wealthiest men in the region. One of John Donelson's daughters, Rachel, married a Revolutionary War officer named Captain Louis Robards. They later separated and before they had divorced, Rachel had married Andrew Jackson. It is interesting to note that this marriage caused Jackson to get in several duels, and created trouble for him the remainder of his life.

As well as being a lawyer, Jackson was also a land speculator on a limited scale, which turned out to be good for Stockley Donelson because Jackson helped him write out land titles, including the title for the Thomas Gallaher farm located on the East Fork. A second notable connection is that another sister of Stockley's, Catherine, married an old business partner of Andrew Jackson's named Captain Thomas Hutchings, who had once lived in Nachez, Mississippi.

Stockley himself married Elizabeth Glasgow Martin, widow of John Martin. She was the sister to James Glasgow, the Secretary of State for North Carolina during the height of the "land speculation period." It was the Secretary of State's responsibility to issue land grants, so it was no coincidence that the grant process for Donelson went smoothly. For example, he was often permitted extra time to pay the state for these grants. However, things were not always easy for Donelson, as he ended up losing some of his land due to failure to pay taxes.