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Other Information:
The act creating Berrien County authorized the county's inferior
court to contract for construction of a courthouse and other
public buildings (Ga. Laws 1855-56, p. 112). Reportedly, a log
schoolhouse served as the county's temporary courthouse until
a two-story wooden structure was built in 1858. That structure
served until the present two-story brick courthouse was built
in 1898 (see early photo
1 and photo
2).
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Berrien County was created on Feb. 25, 1856 by an act of the
General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1855-56, p. 112). Georgia's 116th
county was created from portions of Coffee, Irwin, and Lowndes
counties. [Click here
for legal description of Berrien County's original boundaries.]
Cook County was created from Berrien County in 1918. Also, portions
of Berrien County were used to create Tift County (1905) and
Lanier County (1920). Berrien County was named for former U.S.
Senator, U.S. Attorney General, and Georgia politician John
Macpherson Berrien (1781-1856).
County Seat:
The 1856 act creating Berrien County appointed William Roberts,
Josiah Parish, Cornelius Tison, Jasper M. Luke and Owen Smith
as commissioners to purchase land for a county seat. However,
the law also directed that election of county officials be held
on the first Monday of April 1856. Should the commissioners not
have selected a county seat by the time of the election, the
new justices of the county's inferior court were authorized to
make this decision. Shortly thereafter, the community of Nashville
was named county seat. Like its Tennessee counterpart, Nashville
was named for Revolutionary War heroGen. Francis Nash (1742-1777), who was mortally wounded in the
Battle of Germantown. The General Assembly incorporated Nashville
on Dec. 20, 1892 (Ga. Laws 1892, p. 162).
A reader has sent in this alternate information on the naming of Nashville:
The centennial edition of the Nashville Herald (now extinct) disputes that Nashville was named for Francis Nash.
From page 5 of the February 16, 1956, edition:
“A tradition as to how Nashville received its name has come down over a 100 year laps of time, which whose tradition was vouched for by several older citizens as true. It is as follows:
‘When the resident of the future town of Nashville were debating in their minds just what the name of the town should be, and as some of them sat upon the porch of a grog shop, which was run in connection with a general store, Simon W. Nash rode up on a horse and after calling for a pint of liquor and drinking to the health of his associates present, jokingly suggested that the new town be named “Nashville.” Although suggested in such levity, the idea was instantly received with favor, and strange to say, the name was adopted and ever since has been the name of the town. The name “Griffin” had been suggested but there already was a Griffin, GA.’”
An edition of the Herald from prohibition times had a similar story, but had a little twist in it:
Simon W. Nash supposedly told the people that gathered on the porch that he’d give each of them a drink of his liquor if they would name the town after him.
Though, that tidbit might instead by a little piece of propaganda, considering the time period. Not too long after, as prohibition was being lifted, the vast majority of Berrien County citizens voted in favor of alcohol.
Nashville did not exist before the creation of Berrien County and was created for the purpose of being county seat. Original plans were to have the county seat in the geographical center, which is today’s community of Flat Creek. For one reason or another, it was moved a few miles south.
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 457.8 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 41st out of 159
Population:
Berrien County
City of Nashville
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