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Other Information:
The 1821 legislation organizing Fayette County authorized the
justices of the county's inferior court to select a county seat
and provide for erection of a courthouse and other public buildings
(Ga. Laws 1821, p. 44). Until such buildings were constructed,
Fayette County courts were to meet in such places as the inferior
court directed. It is unclear where court met for the few years,
but in 1825 a three-story courthouse was constructed (see
photo and story). Though no longer serving as courthouse,
this structure is the oldest former courthouse still standing
in Georgia . In 1983, a fire set by arsonists badly damaged the
third floor, and destroyed the roof and clock tower. Restoration
of the courthouse began in August 1983 and was completed in May
1984. However, after the fire, Fayette County officials decided
that the old courthouse was inadequate for the growing county
and authorized construction of a new county courthouse annex.
That annex was completed in 1985 and became the new Fayette County
courthouse, as well as center for county government offices.
Continuing growth of Fayette County led county officials to authorize
construction of a Fayette County Administration Complex, which
was completed in 1992 (see
photo).
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Fayette County was created on May 15, 1821 by an act of the General
Assembly (Ga. Laws 1821 Extra. Session, p. 3). [Click here
to read the legal description of Fayette County's original boundaries.]
Dooly, Houston, Monroe, Fayette, and Henry County were created
in that order by the Georgia
Land Lottery Act of 1821, which was enacted at a special
session of the General Assembly four months after the Creek Indians
ceded lands between the Ocmulgee and Flint rivers (see
map) on Jan. 8, 1821 in the first Treaty
of Indian Springs.
Fayette County was organized by an act of the legislature
approved Dec. 24, 1821 (Ga. Laws 1821, p. 44). That same act
added the 4th, 5th, 13th, 14th, and 17th districts of Henry County
to Fayette County. Later, portions of Fayette County were used
to create the following counties: DeKalb (1822), Campbell (1828),
Spalding (1851), and Clayton (1858).
Georgia's 51st county was named the Marquis
de Lafayette (1757-1834), a French adventurer who at age
20 accepted a commission as major general in the Continental
Army during the American Revolution. Lafayette became a trusted
field officer and friend of Gen. George Washington, and was widely
considered a hero in America.
County Seat:
The Dec. 24, 1821 act organizing Fayette County authorized the
justices of the county's inferior court to select the county
seat (Ga. Laws 1821, p. 44). Subsequently, the justices selected
a site for the county seat, as evidenced by an 1822
map of Georgia that shows a site in Fayette County marked
"C.H." At some point in 1822 or 1823, the county seat
became known as Fayetteville. On Dec. 20, 1823, the legislature
designated Fayetteville as county seat and incorporated it as
a town (Ga. Laws 1823, p. 178).
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 199.3 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 142nd out of 159
Population:
Fayette County
City of Fayetteville
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