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Other Information: Johnson County's first courthouse was a
wooden structure built in 1859. It is unclear how long that building
was used. The county's present courthouse was built in 1895 (see
photo). It was remodeled in 1938, at which time the clock
tower was reduced in size and substantially altered. A major
restoration of the courthouse was completed in 1996.
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Johnson County was created on Dec. 11, 1858 by an act of the
General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1858, p. 32). Formed from portions
of Emanuel, Laurens, and Washington counties, Georgia's 130th
county was named for Herschel
Johnson, who had served as governor (1853-57) and had run
as Democratic vice presidential nominee in Stephen Douglas's
unsuccessful race for the presidency in 1860.
County Seat:
The legislation creating Johnson County named five commissioners
with responsibility for selecting the location of the county
seat. The commissioners were authorized to purchase a tract of
land for laying out a town, while the justices of the county's
first inferior court were responsible for having a courthouse
and other public buildings constructed. In 1859, William Hicks
donated land for the county seat. That same year, the county's
first courthouse -- a wooden building -- was constructed. The
legislation creating Johnson County directed that the county
seat be named Wrightsville. It was named for John B. Wright,
who was one of the five commissioners selected by the legislature
to select the location of a county seat. Wright, an early resident
of the area, may have been involved in the movement to create
a new county. In any event, local voters subsequently elected
him to the Georgia Senate (where he served from 1861-63). On
Feb. 23, 1866, the legislature incorporated Wrightsville (Ga.
Laws 1865-66, p. 296).
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 306.5 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 98th out of 159
Population:
Johnson County
City of Wrightsville
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