Acts of the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio, 1795 Chapter 6

WHEREAS the large extent and inconvenient situation of the county of Knox, renders it troublesome and expensive to many of the inhabitants thereof to attend courts and other public meetings therein.

SECTION 1.  That the county of Knox shall be divided by a line as follows, to wit:  Beginning upon the south side of the river Holston, at the mouth of Little River, then up the meanders of Little River, on the south side to the mouth of Stock Creek, and up the meanders of Stock Creek upon the south side to the head of Nicholas Bartlet's mill pond at high waters, thence a direct line to the top of Bay's Mountain, leaving the house of James Willis to the right, within forty rod of the said line, thence along Bay's Mountain, to the line of the county of Sevier, thence with that line to the eastern boundary of the Territory, thence southwardly to the line of the Indian boundary according to the treaty of Holston, and with that line to the river Holston, and up the meanders of the river Holston, upon the southside, to the beginning, shall thence forth be erected into a new and distinct county, by the name of Blount County.

SEC. 2.  That William Wallace, Joseph Black, Samuel Glass, David Craig, John Tremble, Alexander Kelly, and Samuel Henry, are hereby appointed commissioners, a majority of whom shall have power to fix the place for erecting the court house, prison, and stocks, to receive and apply such sums of money as may be raised or appropriated to build the same, to obtain fifty acres of land, by purchase or otherwise, to lay the same out into a town, and to sell and execute deeds for lots, and to apply the money arising from the sale to the building the court house, which town shall be called and known by the name of Maryville; and the said commissioner shall give bond and security to the Governor, in the penal sum of one thousand dollars, for the due application of such sums of money as shall come to their hands for the purpose before expressed, and well and truly to account for the same, to and with the court of the said county of Blount, which bond shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the said county.

SEC. 3.  That the court for the said county, of Blount shall be held constantly by the justices of said county, on the second Mondays in September, December, March, and June:  And the justices for the said county of Blount are hereby authorized and empowered to hold the first court for the same at the house of Abraham Weir, and all subsequent courts for said county on the days above mentioned for holding courts therein, at any place to which the said justices shall from court to court adjourn themselves, until a courthouse shall be built for said county of Blount; and then all causes, matters, and things, depending in the said court, and all manner of process returnable to the same, shall be adjourned to such court house; and all courts held in and for said county of Blount, shall be held by commission to the said justices, in the same manner, and under the same rules and restrictions, and shall have and exercise the same powers and jurisdiction as are or shall be prescribed for other courts held for the several counties in this territory.

SEC. 4.  That the justices of the county courts of Knox and Blount shall appoint jurors to serve at the superior courts of law and equity for the district of Hamilton, as follows:  The county of Knox, twelve and the county of Blount, six.  And the county of Blount shall compose part of the said district in the same manner, and for all purposes civil and military shall enjoy the same privileges as other counties in the Territory---Provided, nothing in this act contained, shall be so construed as to prevent the sheriff or collector of the taxes of the county of Knox from collecting the same, both public and county, within the limits of the said county of Blount, for the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety five, and the arrearages of taxes for the preceding years, in the same manner as if this act had not been passed.

SEC. 5.  That this act shall be in force, and take effect from and after the second day of August next.

July 11, 1795.