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Other Information: The
legislation creating Pierce County provided that until a county
seat was selected and a courthouse built, county courts would
be conducted at the house of Mrs. Nancy Stewart. In 1858, a courthouse
was built in Blackshear -- but this structure burned in 1875.
That same year, a new courthouse was built at the location of
the present courthouse. This building was torn down and replaced
by the current courthouse in 1902 (see
early photo). The building was remodeled in the 1970s, with
a rear addition constructed in 1975.
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Pierce County was created from Appling and Ware counties on Dec.
18, 1857 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1857, p.
40). According to that act, the county's original boundaries
were specified as:
Commencing at the south-west corner of the ninth district
of Ware, thence the line between the 8th and 9th district to
the line of the 4th and 5th district, thence the line between
the 4th and 5th to the Appling county line; thence a direct line
to Lightsey's Ford, on Big Creek, in Appling county; thence the
creek down to the Little Satilla River; thence down the river
to the Wayne county line; thence the Wayne line to the line of
Charlton county; thence the line of Charlton to the south-east
corner of the 9th district of Ware; thence the district line
to the south-west corner of the 9th district.
Georgia's 120th county was named for Pres.
Franklin Pierce (1804-1869), whose term as fourteenth president
had ended earlier that year.
Portions of Pierce County were used to create Bacon County
(1914) and Brantley County (1920).
County Seat:
The legislation creating Pierce County named James Walker, Ransom
Thomas, James Harper, Allen Strickland and Netheldred Byrd as
commissioners with authority to designated the location of the
county seat (which was to be "as near the centre of the
county as is convenient or practicable"). The commissioners were
also empowered to purchase land, lay it out into town lots, sell
the lots, and contract for construction of a courthouse. Election
of justices of the inferior court and other county offices was
scheduled for the first Monday in March 1858. If, by that time,
the commissioners had not selected a county seat and performed
their other duties, these responsibilities would be assumed by
the inferior court. In 1858, either the commissioners or inferior
court picked a train depot on the new Atlantic and Gulf Railroad
as the county seat. The legislation creating Pierce County had
directed that the county seat be designated Blackshear, so the
town that grew up around the depot became known as Blackshear.
The name honors Gen. David Blackshear (1764-1837), who was involved
in the War of 1812 and Creek Indian Wars. On Dec. 16, 1859, the
General Assembly incorporated Blackshear (Ga. Laws 1859, p. 134).
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 343.7 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 83rd out of 159
Population:
Pierce County
City of Blackshear
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