The Beginning         

Vernon, Lamar Co. Alabama

Second Courthouse Lamar County, Alabama in Vernon.

The first courthouse was a log building owned by Daniel Molloy.

 Lamar was made from part of Fayette and Marion Counties February 4, 1867, by an act of legislature. It was named Jones County in honor of E. P. Jones of Fayette County. By an act of Legislature, it was abolished, November 13, 1867, and returned to the former counties. October 8, 1868, an act of Legislature created a new county of the same territory call Sanford County. By an act on February 8, 1877 Sanford County became Lamar. This time it was named for L.Q.C. Lamar, a Georgia born statesman of Mississippi. Almost in the center of this county is the county seat, Vernon. Mr. John Molloy owned the land where Vernon is, he gave the county the plot to be laid off in lots for a town. County sold lots to raise funds to build court house and jail.

1867      Jones County, B. L. Falkner, Probate Judge, and Commissioners: W. H. Brown, Jason Guin, W. C. York, N. T. Morton laid off lots, S. E. Hopkins Surveyer.

1. Laid off square to build temporary building for court house 20 X 30 10 feet high.
2. Lots 1, 2, 13,14, 15 to be reserved for the jail. Lot 9 for court house.
3. Lots 42, 45 reserved for church property.

1868      June 1^st, bid let to N. F. Morton to build the court house for $4000, N. T. Morton Judge, Jones County.

Lot 45 is where Eddie Wood Collins has a building.

Lot 42 is where Mr. John Price now lives (1960).

Lot 44 is where the Methodist church was before moved to where it is now. That is about where Mrs. John Price had a store in 1960.

Lots 39, 40, 28, 29 is where the Methodist church is located now (1960).

Surveyed for Jones County coming on the 27 August, 1867, the town lots of Swayne Court House, as foregoing platt commencing at NE corner set a stake from which N 88 deg. E 5 links sweetgum, thence S 120 poles, set stake from which S 32 deg. E 58 links sweetgum, thence W 40 poles, set a stake from which S 32 deg. E 58 links sweetgum, thence W 40 poles, set a stake from which S 75 deg. E 9 links peach tree thence E 40 poles to the beginning. This is to certify that the foregoing survey and plot is nearly correct, yet not precise as done by me this September 4, 1867. S. C. Hopkins, Sworn Surveyor.

Lot Numbers	Sold to	Amount
1, 4, 16, 25, 26, 46, 47, 48	W. W. Pool	$180.62 1/2
5, 8, 6	Jessie Taylor	$ 190.25
7,33	E. W. Lawrence	$ 65.25
17, 55	Samuel Curry	$96.55
32, 27	A. J. Hamilton	$ 130.50
31	W. H. Johnson	92
24	Edward Barnes	50
30, 29, 56	A. J. McAdams	207.50
38, 39	M. G. Darr	97
27, 28	W. W. Kennedy	162
40 (Methodist Church property now)	Peter Shaw	25.50
34,35, 36	T. C. Burdick	197
57,58	J. S. Cox	69
59,60	John Woodard	50
44	D. C. Gillian	46.50
43, 50	George Pennington	72.50
49	D. M. Patterson	26.75
62	John Bobo	26
41 ?	Andy Bobo	20.50
51	Henry Bush	21
52	W. N. Scott	10
54,53,63,64,	N. F. Morton	$51.75

1867, September 16. To be paid out by the Treasurer on the Certificate of Probate John Morris $15, H. Jackson be paid $1.50 for selling lots. G. M. Morton be paid $1 for selling lots. (Auctioneers).

Court adjourned until 8 0’clock tomorrow morning, September 17, 1867.

Next morning: Commissioners establish election precincts lying and between rand 14 and 15 at point where old County line which divides and Fayette crosses said line west with said former county line bet to the range line between ranges 15 & 16, thence S with said range line to the Powel’s road, thence E to range line between Range 14 & 15, thence N to the point of beginning to be call Town Beat. Lots – 90, 89, 99, 100, 101, 111, 112, 114 to be reserved from sale at present. Sold lots for pay in 6 months to pay. The purchaser giving note with two securities.  This all found in Commissioner’s Court Minutes in Court House, Vernon, Ala.

Men who served as Lamar’s first officers:

Probate Judge                                  B. L. Falkner

Clerk                                                   Tom Morton

Sheriff                                                George Brown, Dept. J. L. Morton

Tax Collector                                    Luke Guin

Tax Assessor                                     Jake Clines

Treasurer                                           Fayette Hayes

Superintendent of Education       W. M. Morton

Commissioner                                  William Brown

Historical information taken from research notes of Mrs. Maggie Lee Hayes housed in History room of Mary Wallace Cobb Memorial Library in Vernon, Alabama. Transcribed as written by Barb Carruth.