First Liberty County Superior Court

Chief Justice George Walton, aided by Judge Benjamin Andrew, presided over the first Liberty County Superior Court at Sunbury on November 18, 1783. Members of the first Liberty County Grand Jury were Joseph Law, William Baker Sr., William West, William Peacock Sr., John Hardy, Nathan Taylor, Nathaniel Sexton, James Powell, and John Lyers Sr.

 

In his charge to the Grand Jury, Judge Walton said that good order had characterized every court over which he had presided since his appointment as chief justice. He added that nothing could contribute to the blessings of peace, and the general happiness of the people, more than observance of the law.

 

“I congratulate you, gentlemen,” he continued, “on the news of a definitive treaty of peace by which our friends, sovereignty, and independence are secured.” He recalled that the citizens of Liberty County had “drunk deep in the steams of distress,” and warned them not to lose sight of “the value of the prize you have obtained.”

 

The state legislature, on February 26, 1784, designated Sunbury as the place where the Liberty County Superior and Inferior Courts would henceforth convene. That official­ly established Sunbury as the first county seat of Liberty County.