Goats on the Square

Goats on the Square. . Cattle, hogs and goats were important to Lawrenceville's economy in the 1840's. Unfortunately they also created a problem for the Justices of the Inferior Court. Fences and gates could not keep the local livestock from running at large and settling in on the courthouse square. Goats sometimes were found wandering in the courthouse halls after spending the night. The chief justice of the court convened a session to settle the problem. He suggested offering town lawyers the opportunity to construct a brick office building on each corner of the square but only if they maintained substantial fence around the courthouse. Four prominent lawyers quickly took up the challenge. In 1849, the county exercised formal contracts that deeded the property to the lawyers and their heirs. The Inferior Court reserved the right to reclaim the property if the livestock outsmarted the lawyers and resumed their wanderings on the courthouse grounds. The lawyers were equal to the task however, and the goats and other four-legged visitors were properly evicted from the square. Find these four buildings that mark the corners of the courthouse square!