The Beginning
Vernon, Lamar Co. Alabama
First Permanent 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 anact 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.
- Laid off square to build temporary building for court house 20 X 30 10 feet high.
- Lots 1, 2, 13,14, 15 to be reserved for the jail. Lot 9 for court house.
- Lots 42, 45 reserved for church property.
1868 June 1st, 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 (dated 1960)of Mrs. Maggie Lee Hayes housed in History room of Mary Wallace Cobb Memorial Library in Vernon, Alabama. Transcribed “as written” by Barb Carruth.
Note from Barb Carruth: The listing of Jones County first officers written by Mrs. Hayes in this article and the listing compiled by Rose Marie Smith Hocutt are different. I have not researched original documents but will in the future.
West Alabama History 