[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 77 (Friday, June 4, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE COWETA COUNTY, GEORGIA COURTHOUSE

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                           HON. PHIL GINGREY

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 4, 2004

  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the proud 
history of Newnan, Georgia, the Coweta County Seat, and the beautiful 
courthouse that has resided there for a century.
  Mr. Speaker, on February 12, 1825, a group of Creek Indians led by 
General William McIntosh signed the Treaty of Indians Springs, in which 
they ceded their remaining land to Georgia. Subsequently, the Georgia 
General Assembly divided the land into five parcels, which would later 
become the counties of Lee, Muscogee, Troup, Coweta, and Carroll.
  Coweta County was named for a group of Creek Native Americans that 
lived in and around Coweta, one of the largest and most important towns 
of the Lower Creek Nation, and to honor General McIntosh, the chief of 
the Coweta Towns. The official act of naming the county on December 11, 
1826, took place in the home of James Caldwell, which then became the 
very first official courthouse of Coweta County.
  For two more years, the Coweta County courts would meet in Mr. 
Caldwell's home until Newnan was designated the county seat and an 
official log courthouse was constructed in 1828. In 1904, the 
spectacular building that now stands was built.
  Mr. Speaker, as you can see, the Coweta County Courthouse has a long 
and proud history and it has come a long way from its humble beginnings 
in a log cabin. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in commending the 
great work of the people who have dedicated so much to keep this 
courthouse beautiful and its history alive. I am proud to represent the 
good people of Coweta County in the House of Representatives and I look 
forward to being with them during this 100-year celebration.

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