History of Lawrenceville, Georgia
The county of Gwinnett was chartered on December 15, 1818. The first trials, elections and sheriff's sales were held at the Hog Mountain home of Elisha Winn in 1819. The first jail was located adjacent to Winn's barn, which served as the county's first courtroom. The city of Lawrenceville, to be the county seat, was chartered in 1821, three years to the day after the creation of Gwinnett County. The genesis of the county seat's name came from Captain James Lawrence, commander of the frigate Chesapeake during a battle with HMS Shannon on June 1, 1813, off the coast near Boston, Massachusetts. Lawrence's command to his crew, "Tell the men to fire faster and not give up the ship!" inspired Gwinnett resident William Maltbie to suggest that the town be named in the Captain's honor. A paraphrase of Lawrence's words, "Don't Give Up the Ship," later became the motto of the U.S. Navy, which has named numerous ships in his honor.
Lawrenceville and the Civil War
In 1861, the three-man Gwinnett County delegation voted against seceding from the Union, but when Georgia's resolution to leave the United States passed, they amended their vote to include a statement supporting the defense of Georgia.
And when the call to arms rang out, Gwinnett County formed 18 companies: one artillery unit, five cavalry units and 12 infantry units, totaling about 2,000 men - a substantial contribution from a county of about 12,000 people
The Gwinnett County soldiers saw some of the hardest fighting in the war, including the Seven Days battle, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga and Petersburg. many served to the end, surrendering with Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appomattox.
The city was largely spared during the war save for a July 17, 1864, raid by a Union cavalry brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. Kenner Garrard. In the raid, they brushed aside a weak Confederate cavalry force and torched the Lawrenceville Manufacturing Co., one of Gwinnett's largest cotton mills. Its loss hobbled the county's economy for some time. The Union troops also rounded up all the mules and horses they could find.
The Lawrenceville Courthouse
In 1820, Isham Williams built a log courthouse on land he owned (Land Lot 143, located near present-day Lawrenceville). When Williams and the county could not agree on a purchase price for the land, Elisha Winn was selected to buy a permanent site for the county town. Winn purchased Lot 146, consisting of 250 acres in the Fifth Land District, for $200 from John Breedlove of Hancock County who had drawn it in the lottery. Another log courthouse was constructed on the land.
In 1824, the second log courthouse was replaced by a brick structure. In 1856, the legislature authorized Gwinnett County to levy a special tax to erect a new courthouse -- but apparently nothing was done.
Members of the Ku Klux Klan burned down the courthouse on Sept. 10, 1871. It seems a Klansman had been bootlegging and there was evidence inside that he wanted to get rid of. Some of the records from Inferior Court were saved, but most documents burned. The evidence against the Klan members was housed in the sheriff's house at the time and was not damaged.
That December the legislature authorized Gwinnett County to borrow up to $8,000 to build another courthouse, which was completed in 1872. This new building, however, was widely criticized for its poor construction, and in 1884 was torn down. The signature two-story structure that stands today was erected in 1885 at a cost of $23,083.
The courthouse was the scene of two lynchings. In 1865, soon after the war ended, Mart McConnell, a former slave, was accused of assaulting a white woman. He fled to Union soldiers camped at the square. After hearing the facts, the soldiers took him into custody, bought a rope and hanged him on the courthouse square. Georgia Congressman Charles H. Brand mentioned it from the floor of Congress in 1922 to make the point that the first lynching in Georgia was done by Yankees.
On April 7, 1911, a black man named Charlie Hale, also charged with assaulting a white woman, was dragged from the jail and hanged.
Lawrenceville in the News
A local man, Ezzard Charles, was heavyweight champion of the world from 1949 to 1951. Charles was known for many great bouts, but staying on his feet and in the ring for a full 15 rounds against Rocky Marciano was a feat achieved by no other fighter. He died in 1975 at the age of 54. A monument to the boxer stands downtown and Charles is enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 1978, the city again made national news when pornographer Larry Flynt was put on trial for obscenity charges. A sniper shot him and paralyzed him on Perry Street as he returned from lunch.
The Oaks House and Honest Alley The Oaks were the predominant horse and mule traders in town. There was once an alley, known around town as Honest Alley, which ran all the way behind the storefronts on Crogan Street. Honest Alley dumped out near the Oak House. All horse-trading took place in that alley, and because horse traders weren't known for their honesty the locals gave the alley its comical name. Traveling medicine shows would also come and try to sell their tonics and miracle medicines back there. Children were often told to stay away from the alley, and warned that murders and mischievous behavior took place.
Ezzard House
This was home to Dr. Webster Price Ezzard, who practiced medicine on the Lawrenceville city square for over sixty years and was known for saying that he did not expect to take a vacation before retirement. "And retirement will come about two days before I go to the cemetery," he had been quoted as saying. Dr. Ezzard died in 1963 at the age of eighty-three, but his son, George Ezzard, carried on the legacy for years after. Dr. W. P. Ezzard was a true servant to Lawrenceville and he told the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 1962 that, "I come when called, go when sent for, look after all classes, and do my best to render satisfactory service."
Button Gwinnett
Button Gwinnett, for whom this county was named, was born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1735, the son of a Church of England minister. He worked in the store of his father-in-law in Dexter for two years, then as an importer and exporter for three years. In 1765 he came to Georgia, opening a store in Savannah. The same year he sold his store, bought St. Catherines Island and moved onto it, becoming a familiar figure at Sunbury and Midway Church.
Button Gwinnett was elected Justice of the Peace in 1767; Commissioner of Pilotage in 1768; member of the Georgia Assembly (legislature) in 1769. He was sent to the Continental Congress early in 1776 and signed the Declaration of Independence Aug. 2, 1776. He later served as Speaker of the Assembly and was one of the chief drafters of the first State Constitution.
Mr. Gwinnett was chosen to fill the unexpired term of Archibald Bulloch as President of the Executive Council, or Provisional Governor of Georgia, on March 4, 1777. He served only a few months before being defeated for re-election by Governor John A. Treutlen. Politics resulted in a duel in which Gov. Gwinnett was killed by Gen. Lachlan McIntosh on May 16, 1777, and buried in an unknown, unmarked grave. He left so few signatures that one autograph sold for $51,000.
101 Perry Street
This structure was once the Hotel Ewing. The hotel stood three stories high and was considered a monumental landmark by the people who lived in downtown Lawrenceville. The hotel's gingerbread balconies wrapped around the corner of the then unpaved Crogan and Perry Streets, and marked the beginning of the line of shops and buildings that made up the main business district. A local newspaper, the Gwinnett Journal, deemed the establishment, which was originally built in 1895, a "First Class hotel."
On a cold night in 1927 a fire quickly took hold of the whole top floor of the Hotel Ewing. The Lawrenceville Fire Department took immediate action and began to battle a fire growing to a monstrous scale. The Lawrenceville fire fighters hosed the fire to the best of their capabilities, but due to the bitter cold and extremely windy conditions for a time it seemed as though "the entire block on the south side of the square would be wiped out. The Buford fire department responded to a phone message and brought with them not only their extra manpower, but also a fire engine. Together the Lawrenceville and Buford firefighters battled the fire until 3am Monday morning, and were able to keep the fire confined to the Hotel. The brave effort from the men was able to save the ground floor of the Hotel; however, only burning embers and smoking remnants of the second and third floor remained from a hotel that stood in the community for thirty-two years.
Bill Arp birthplace
The beloved Charles Henry Smith was born here June 15, 1826. He married Mary Hutchins of Lawrenceville in 1849, beginning his law practice and moved to Rome in 1851. Major, Confederate Army. His Nom de plume, "Bill Arp," was first used in 1861. Appointed Judge Advocate, Macon, 1864. State Senator 1865-1866. Mayor of Rome, Ga. 1868-1869. Moved near Cartersville in 1877, and into town 1888. A brilliant writer, gentle philosopher, and entertaining humorist for more than forty years, he died August 24, 1903.
Garrard's Cavalry Raid On July 20, 1864, Union forces under Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman, USA, were closing in on Atlanta. Hq. 2nd Cavalry Division. Brig. Gen. Kenner Garrard, was in Decatur, 6 miles E of Atlanta. Garrard's three brigades were guarding bridges over the Chattahoochee River and picketing the left flank. That night, Garrard was ordered to assembly his command and march to Covington (29 miles S) to burn the bridges over the Yellow and Ulcofauhachee (Alcovy) rivers and destroy the Georgia Railroad in that area.
He marched late on the 21st. Next morning the destruction was begun. At Covington, he burned the depot, a newly-built hospital center, 2,000 bales of cotton, and large quantities of quartermaster and commissary supplies. After destroying 2 railroad and 4 wagon bridges, 3 trains and 6 miles of track, he turned north toward Loganville (11 miles SE), arriving there on July 23rd.
While Long's and Miller's brigades performed the same mission in and around Loganville, Garrard detached Minty's brigade to Lawrenceville to strip this area of horses and mules. Reaching Lawrenceville later in the day, Minty encountered a small force of cavalry which, after a sharp skirmish, he drove from the town. After rounding up all stock which had not been hidden at his approach, Minth moved to Yellow River (4 miles SW) and made camp. Next morning he marched to Decatur to rejoin Garrard.