Acts of 1829 Chapter 306

SECTION 1. That David Oats, Burgess Mathews, William Stephens, Alexander Kelly, David Miller, William Stone and William King, be, and they are hereby appointed commissioners, who, or a majority of them, shall as soon as may be, select and fix on a place as near the centre of the county of Marion, as an eligible site can be procured, for a court house, prison and stocks, for the use of said county of Marion, and after agreeing on the place, the said commissioners shall proceed to purchase, or otherwise procure, not less than forty acres of land, for which they shall cause a deed or deeds to be made to themselves and their successors in office, by general warranty, on which they shall cause a town to be laid off, with necessary streets and alleys, reserving not less than one acre of ground, as near the centre as may be, on which the court house, prison and stocks shall be erected, which town shall be known by the name of Jasper.

SECTION 2. That when the town shall be thus laid off, the aforesaid commissioners are further required to advertise for sale to the highest bidder, in some newspaper printed in Knoxville, and three of the most public places in said county of Marion, on a credit of twelve months, giving sixty days previous notice, and shall take bonds with sufficient security to themselves and their successors in office, for the purchase money arising from the sale of said lots, and shall make titles to the purchasers in fee simple.

SECTION 3. That it shall be the further duty of the said commissioners, to contract with suitable workmen to build a court house, prison and stocks, and the monies arising from the sale of said lots, after paying for the land so purchased, shall be applied to pay for said court house, prison and stocks.

SECTION 4. That should the money arising from the sale of said lots, prove insufficient to pay for said public buildings, then, and in that case, a majority of the acting Justices of the said county of Marion being present, shall in term time, have power, and are hereby authorized to lay an additional county tax, not exceeding twelve and one half cents on each hundred acres of land liable to taxation; twelve and one half cents on each white poll; twenty five cents on each black poll; one dollar on each stud horse kept for mares; twenty five cents on each town lot, and five dollars on each peddler, hawker, or merchant; the said tax shall be laid from year to year, until a sufficient sum shall be collected to pay for said public buildings, and shall be collected by the collector of public taxes, on the same per cent as other county taxes, and the said collector shall pay over the same, when collected to the aforesaid commissioners, and shall be, by them applied towards paying for the said public buildings, and whose receipts shall be allowed in the settlement of the said collectors accounts.

SECTION 5. That the said commissioners before entering on the duties of their appointment, shall enter into bond with sufficient security, payable to the Governor for the time being and his successors in office, in the sum of three thousand dollars, for the faithful discharge of their duty, as herein expressed; which bond shall be attested by, and lodged in the office of the clerk of the county court of said county of Marion.

SECTION 6. That so soon as the public buildings shall be completed, the aforesaid commissioners shall lay before the county court of Marion county, a just and fair statement of all the monies by them received, as well as those by them expended, with sufficient vouchers for the same, by virtue of their appointment, and the court shall make them a reasonable compensation for their services; Provided, a majority of the acting justices of said county are present, when such allowance is made; and provided also, that the said county court of Marion, shall have power, and are hereby authorized to call on said commissioners for a statement of their proceedings, before the said public buildings are completed; but such call, by, and from the said court, shall not be oftener than once in each year.

SECTION 7. That when the court house hereby authorized to be erected, shall be finished, the said commissioners shall certify the same to the county court of Marion, who, thereupon, shall adjourn the several courts of said county to the town of Jasper, and all writs, subpoenas and other process made returnable to the present court house of Marion county, shall be returned to the said town of Jasper, and shall be a good and as available in law as if originally made returnable to the said town of Jasper.

SECTION 8. That the said commissioners before entering on the duties of their appointment, shall take an oath before some Justice of the Peace for Marion county, well and truly, faithfully and impartially to discharge all such duties as shall be incumbent on them to do and perform, and commissioners aforesaid.

Passed: October 30, 1819.