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Walker County History
Source: History of Walker County, Georgia
Contributed and Transcribed by: Frances Cooley
Walker County was named for Major Freeman Walker of Augusta. He was one of the leading members of the bar in his
day and was for some years a Senator from Georgia.
Organized in 1831, the Legislature of Georgia organized all the territory of Northwest Georgia into one large county,
called Cherokee, because of the Cherokee Indians in that part of the State. Northwest Georgia was at that time,
and is even yet, often referred to as Cherokee, Georgia.
It was seen at once that this area was entirely too extensive for one county, so one year later, in 1832, the county
of Murray was laid out from Cherokee. Murray was composed of all that territory extending into the northwest
angle of the state and from which afterward the counties of Walker, Whitfield, Catoosa, Gordon, Dade, and Chattooga
were carved.
In 1833 when the Legislature again assembled the county of Walker was organized. At this time the territory of
Walker included not only its present area, but all of Dade, and large parts of Whitfield, Catoosa, and Chattooga.
In 1837 all of Walker's territory west of the top of Lookout Mountain was cut off and the county of Dade was established
as the most northwestern county in the state.
In 1838 another portion was cut off from Walker and the county of Chattooga was established.
Then again in 1853, more territory was extracted and the county of Catoosa was made a county.
Also, in this same year, 1853, and again in 1859, other portions of Walker's territory were dished out to enrich
the county of Whitfield.
Walker County was inhabited by the Cherokee Indians until 1838.
The town site, La Fayette, county seat of Walker County, was laid out by Benjamin Wheeler in 1835.
Wm. Perry opened the first store there in 1836.
In 1837, Spencer Marsh, also David Stewart, engaged in the mercantile; business there.
John Caldwell opened the first hotel at La Fayette and was elected the first clerk of the county.
Wm. Fortner was the first sheriff.
La Fayette was principally settled by Democrats, of whom Marsh, Stewart, Caldwell and Fortner were the most
prominent. Perry, the first merchant, was a Whig.
Judge Kenyan held the first court in Walker County in a rude log house. He was a stern judge and felt very indignant
at the rudeness of some of the natives during his first term of court. There being no jail he had no means of enforcing
proper respect for the dignity of the court. The second time he arrived to hold court he came on horseback.
He had a coil of new rope which he threw on the floor in the court house. When asked by one of-the lawyers what
the rope was for, he said that he was going to hog-tie the first man who failed to respect his court. It is useless
to say the rope was never used, as it commanded order, among the rude natives.
There are some conflicting statements as to the date of settlement in Walker County of one of the most prominent
families, a member of which has attained to national popularity. Hon. John B. Gordon was made famous as a
Confederate leader, represented his State in the United States Senate after the war, then governor of the State
and again elected to the United States Senate.
The first mail route in the county ran from Chattanooga to Rome. The first mail carrier was Ab.Wisdom. He made
the trip from Chattanooga and return once a week.
La Fayette was the first post office in the county. Mail matter was five or six weeks old before it reached its
destination.
In that early day there was a stage line from Augusta to Knoxville, Tennessee, which carried the mail.
About the year 1840 a mail route was established from La Fayette to New Town, in Gordon County. Although the mail
was carried but twice a month, was a great convenience.
Roads were rapidly opened and churches were organized in almost every neighborhood.
Humphrey Posey, a missionary appointed by the Philadelphia Association to preach to the Cherokee Indians, organized
Shiloh and other Baptist churches in the county.
About 1837 or 1838 Shiloh was organized with seven members. Constantine Wood and wife, Thomas Kite and wife, and
three negroes belonging to James Young, Abram, Milly and Oney. Antfoch and Peavine and some other Baptist churches
were organized about the same time, and churches of other denominations were organized at the same time in almost
every neighborhood.
The first court after the organization of the county was held in a little log cabin near Chickamauga, at
which two Indians, Pocketbook and Cach, were tried for murder and both were convicted and hanged.
In 1838 the court house was finished and the first court in that building was presided over by Judge Hooper, who
resided in La Fayette at that time.
The old brick academy was also built about the same time and about the first school in the county was taught in
it.
Spencer Marsh, John Caldwell, Samuel Fariss and some others were prominent in managing the affairs of the county.
Spencer Marsh was among the first merchants to open a mercantile business in the new town.
At that time dry goods were bought in northern cities and shipped to Augusta. They were hauled in wagons from that
place to almost all parts of the state.
The Indians were carried from the state in 1838. They were all collected in this section and guarded in a
fort a short distance northwest of La Fayette near where the Union Cotton Mills now stand.
These poor children of the forest were grief stricken at the thought of leaving their native hills. When the last
handshaking took place all parties gave expression to their grief.
Many fell prostrate on the ground and begged the soldiers to shoot them that they might be buried in the land of
their births. The line of march, the Trail of Tears, to the west was marked by their graves.
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