The Journal-Record - Bicentennial Edition Thursday, July 1, 1976 Section A, Page 2 FIRST COUNTY SITE IN GREER'S HOME The first county site was at the home of Henry GREER in the Buttahatchee Community. It was moved to Pikeville where it remained for 62 years. Pikeville was picked as the county site by a commission act of the legislature in 1820. This group was composed of Lemuel BEAN, Josly FITGERALD, Barnes HOLLOWAY, George WHITE, William METCALF and William DAVIS. When Lamar County was created in 1866, Pikeville was placed in the new county so the next legislature had to change the boundary and give one square mile back to Marion County. That accounts for the little nick in the northeastern part of Lamar County. Very few records are available about the county site but one tells of a hat factory that made Willard Hats. Another, that a bakery was established there. It consisted of large ovens being cut in a clay bank with shelves on each side. They burned hickory and oak wood to make the coals for baking the bread. Often they cooked 400 loaves of bread at one firing. This was done to accommodate General Andrew Jackson while he was constructing the Military Highway and camped at Military Ford. There were several stores and saloons and one early authority said that over 300 people lived there and that it was larger than Chicago at the time and that Birmingham had not been born. Only one house remains and it is the home of Mrs. Rose MELTON. There is also a rather large cemetery about which many legends are told of the mode of burial. Also there are several graves of some of Jackson's Army buried near Pikeville. Tradition says there was a number of court houses built at Pikeville, believed to be around three. In 1882, an election was held for a new location of the County Site. This was between Center and Toll Gate. Toll Gate won. The court moved there in 1882 and the name was changed to Hamilton in honor of Captain Albert HAMILTON, who gave 40 acres of land for the new county site. Toll Gate had been a post office since about 1818 and the site for the place was said to have been selected by General JACKSON. The first wooden court house was burned in 1887. It was rebuilt but was moved in 1901 to give way to the present sandstone structure. The town was called Toll Gate for 56 years. William RAGSDALE was an early judge of the county and opened the land where the town now stands. He sold it to Captain A. J. HAMILTON.