Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 399
to erect public buildings; and, by way of further stipulation, was added
the clause, "provided the same shall be within twenty miles of Gal-
phin's Old Town." On fulfillment of these conditions, they were au
thorized to buy 1,000 acres of land and to lay out a part thereof in a
town, "which should be known by the name of Louisville."
However, it appears that little progress was made toward putting
this measure into effect for several years. There were various diffi
culties to be overcome but finally in the Constitution of 1795 the new
town was designated as the permanent capital. The demoralized condi
tion of the state, due to the bitter hand-to-hand struggle with poverty,
in the years which immediately succeeded the Revolution, was doubt
less the chief cause for the delay. Says a local historian: * " The first
Legislature, under the Constitution of 1777, assembled in Savannah. It
assembled there partly because the royal governors had always lived
there and partly because it was the largest town in the State. But
Savannah was never officially proclaimed the capital. In December.
1778, Savannah was captured by the British and from then until
January, 1784, the Legislature met at Augusta, with the exception of
two terms, one of which convened at Heard's Fort, in Wilkes county,
and the other at Ebenezer, in Bffingham county. In January, 1784, the
Legislature again met in Savannah. But the people in upper Georgia
had now discovered the great convenience of having the capital in
Augusta. Accordingly for the next two years there was constant agita
tion. Hence the act in 1786 to appoint commissioners to lay off a town
within twenty miles of Galphin's Old Town, and to see to the erecting
of buildings for the use of the government. There were delays, due to
the lack of funds and to the death of the contractor in charge of the
work, and the buildings were not finally completed until March, 1796.
The state-house then erected in Louisville was the first one ever erected
by the state. It was near the center of the town, which was modeled
upon the plan of Philadelphia, with broad streets running northwest and
southeast, and northeast and southwest. The first session of the Legis
lature was held in Louisville in 1796. It is not known exactly when the
last session was held there, but a report of the Acts of the Legislature,
printed in Louisville, in 1805, records an act passed at Louisville, De
cember 2, 1804, 'to make the town of Milledgeville the permanent seat
of government of this State and to dispose of a certain number of lots
therein.' Louisville- must, therefore, have been the capital as late as
1805, as it evidently took months at least to erect the buildings and to
prepare the town of Milledgeville for the purpose.
"When the capital was removed to Milledgeville, the state-house was
turned over to the county of Jefferson. It was used for some years as
the county court house but finally it became so dilapidated that it was
necessary to replace it with another. This, in 1894, was in turn replaced
by one of the handsomest court buildings in the State, at a cost of $50,-
000. Louisville was not very prosperous after the capital was changed
to Milledgeville, until the Louisville and Wadley Railroad was built
about 1875, connecting the town with the Central. Ever since then the
* William W. Abbott, Jr., in the October, 1910, number of the Georgian, a college
magazine published at Athens, Georgia.