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Other Information: The
first "courthouse" in this county was actually the home of a
citizen - John Towns - where public business was first done. The second
courthouse was a log cabin built in 1809. In 1838, a three-story brick
courthouse was built [see
postcard]. This structure served until 1907, when construction
began on the current courthouse. It is constructed of Georgia
marble and brick, with four columns along the front and an eight-sided,
domed clock tower. In the 1990s, the size of the courthouse was
doubled when an extension was built to the rear of the buiding
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Originally named Randolph County, Jasper County was created from
Baldwin County on Dec. 10, 1807 by an act of the General Assembly
(Ga. Laws 1807, p. 3). Georgia's 31st county was named for Virginia
congressman John
Randolph (1773-1833), whose political views were popular
in Georgia. On Dec. 10, 1810, a legislative act renamed the county
because of Randolph's opposition to the War of 1812 (though eventually
he was forgiven and in 1828 would be recognized by having another
new Georgia county named in his honor). On this day, the county
became Jasper County in honor of Revolutionary War hero Sgt. William
Jasper, who during the siege of Savannah was mortally wounded while
retrieving his regiment's flag from the British. [See
statute of Jasper].
In 1821, a portion of Jasper County was used to create Newton
County.
County Seat:
Monticello [named for Thomas Jefferson's Virginia home; created
as county seat Dec. 10, 1808; and incorporated by the legislature
on Dec. 15, 1810].
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 373.6 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 69th out of 159
Population:
Jasper County
City of Monticello
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