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Other Information:
Walker County's first courthouse was built in LaFayette in 1838.
When that structure burned in 1883, a new two-story brick courthouse
was built (see
photo). That structure served until the present courthouse
was built in 1919 (see
early photo).
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Walker County was created from Murray County on Dec. 18, 1833,
by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1833, p. 52). According
to that act:
That the county of Murray, in this State, shall hereafter
constitute and be divided into two counties, to be bounded as
follows: -- commencing at the point where the counties of Floyd
and Cass join on the south side of the present county of Murray,
following the dividing line of the two ranges of districts, separated
by a line running north from the point above designated, until
the said north line intersects the line of the State of Tennessee;
and that portion of said county, lying on the east side of the
above-mentioned line, shall constitute a county, and continue
to be called Murray. And all that portion of said county, as at present
organized, lying on the west side of said north line, shall constitute
a new county to be called Walker, in honor of the late Freeman Walker,
of Richmond.
Georgia's 90th county was named for former U.S. senator Freeman
Walker (1780-1827), an Augusta attorney who served in the
U.S. Senate from 1819 to 1821.
In 1837, Dade County was created entirely from Walker County
(Ga. Laws 1837, p. 65). Also, portions of Walker County were used
to create Chattooga County (1838) and Catoosa County (1853).
County Seat:
The act creating Walker County made no provision for designating
a county seat. In an act of Dec. 22, 1835, the General Assembly designated
the town of Chattooga as permanent county seat and incorporated it
as a town (Ga. Laws 1835, p. 233). On Dec. 30, 1836, the legislature
changed the name of Chattooga to Lafayette (Ga. Laws 1836, p. 108).
By the early 1850s, there was a question whether Lafayette was still
legally incorporated. On Jan. 22, 1852, the General Assembly enacted
legislation declaring that the act of Dec. 22, 1835 was still in full
force (Ga. Laws 1851-52, p. 460). Moreover, this and most subsequent
legislation affecting the town referred to the town as "LaFayette"
(instead of "Lafayette"); and under the current city charter,
the town's official name is LaFayette. The name honors the Marquis
de Lafayette (1757-1834), a French adventurer who at age
20 accepted a commission as major general in the Continental Army during
the American Revolution. Lafayette became a trusted field officer and
friend of Gen. George Washington, and was widely considered a hero
in America.
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 446.7 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 45th out of 159
Population:
Walker County
City of LaFayette
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