Jailhouse Park - City of Byron
Jailhouse Park is so named because of its proximity to the town jail built c. 1875. The building was constructed on a 40 square foot plot of land owned by Dr. CH Richardson and purchased by the commissioners of the city for the sum of $20.00.
Devlopment of the park was the project of the Byron Area Historical Society assisted by a grant from the state of Georgia.
City of Byron
Incorporated 1874
In th 1850´s, Byron was a flag stop on the Southwestern Railroad, identified as "number one nd one-half station". Mr Nimrod Jackson maintained a wood rack for the wood-burning engines, so the flag stop later became known as Jackson Station. It is said that the town is situated on the highest point between Macon and Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Settlers were attracted to the lovely area with its wonderful climate, plentiful supply of "soft" water, rich agricultural acres, and its easy access to the railroad. Victorian cottages and two-story houses sprang up along the railroad track, and small buisnesses, stores, churches, and schools soon followed.
Charles H Richardson, a young doctor and landowner, was the promotional personality of the area, and legend has it that he suggested that he would be honored if the town could bear the name of his favorite poet, Lord Byron. It was due to the doctor´s efforts as a member of the State Legislature that the town of Byron was incorporated in 1874 and granted a . Richardson was its first mayor, and the first commissioners were: TB Goff, TD , Thomas Sanders, J.C. Parrott, and CH Richardson.
To honor these early settlers and later visionaries who have made our city a place to call home, we are hombly proud to be "heirs of the past and hosts to the present in this special place."
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.