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Other Information: Cobb
County's first courthouse -- a one-room log structure -- was
built in 1834 in Marietta. In 1838, county officials had a new
two-story wooden courthouse built in the city square. On Jan.
22, 1852, the legislature authorized the judges of the Cobb County's
inferior court to have a new courthouse built. Apparently, the
previous courthouse was no longer usable, for the 1852 act directed
the inferior court to find a suitable place in Marietta for the
superior and inferior courts to meet until a new courthouse could
be built. The new courthouse lasted until burned during Sherman's
Atlanta Campaign. On Dec. 9, 1871, the legislature authorized
Cobb County's ordinary [probate judge] to issue bonds for construction
of a new county courthouse. That structure -- a two-story brick
building with clock tower (see
postcard) -- was completed in 1873. This served as Cobb County
courthouse until 1966, when a new three-square block complex
of county government buildings opened, including the courtrooms
and offices for superior, probate, and magistrate courts (shown
above), the offices and courtrooms for state court (click here
to view), and the office building for county commissioners and
county agencies (click here
to view).
County History: Cobb County was created from Cherokee County
on Dec. 3, 1832 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1832,
p. 56). [Click here
for complete text of legislation.] According to that act:
. . . the first, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth
and twentieth districts of the second section, and so much
of the first, second and third districts, as lies east of a
line to be run, commencing at the centre of the north line
of the third district in said third section and running due
south to the south line of the first district in said section,
shall form and become one county, to be called Cobb.
In way of background, by 1830, the Cherokee Nation consisted
of most of northwest Georgia (see
map), plus adjoining areas in Alabama, Tennessee, and North
Carolina. Even while Cherokee Indians remained on their homeland
in Georgia, the General Assembly on Dec. 21, 1830 enacted legislation
claiming "all the Territory within the limits of Georgia,
and now in the occupancy of the Cherokee tribe of Indians; and
all other unlocated lands within the limits of this State, claimed
as Creek land" (Ga. Laws 1830, p. 127). The act also provided
for surveying the Cherokee lands in Georgia; dividing them into
sections, districts, and land lots; and authorizing a lottery
to distribute the land. On Dec. 26, 1831, the legislature designated
all land in Georgia that lay west of the Chattahoochee River
and north of Carroll county as "Cherokee County" (see
map) and provided for its organization (Ga. Laws 1831, p.
74). However, the new county was not able to function as a county
because of its size and the fact that Cherokee Indians still
occupied portions of the land. On Dec. 3, 1832, the legislature
added areas of Habersham and Hall counties to Cherokee County,
and then divided the entire area into nine new counties -- Cass
(later renamed Bartow), Cobb, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin,
Murray, Paulding, and Union -- plus a reconstituted and much
smaller Cherokee County.
Georgia's 84th county was named for former U.S. Representative,
U.S. Senator, and Georgia superior court judge Thomas
W. Cobb.
In 1857, part of Cobb County was used to create Milton County.
County Seat: The Dec. 3, 1832 act creating Cobb County
provided for election of county officers in March 1833, with
the newly elected judges of the inferior court authorized to
select the site of the county seat and provide for erection of
a courthouse and other public buildings. The judges subsequently
selected Marietta as county seat On Dec. 19, 1834, the legislature
passed an act incorporating Marietta and designating it as county
seat. The town is generally believed to have been named for Mary
Cobb, wife of Thomas W. Cobb, though it is possible that it was
named for Marietta, Ohio. The name "Marietta" is said
to have originated from Marie Antoinette of France.
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 344.5 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 81st out of 159
Population:
Cobb County
City of Marietta
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