PEGTOWN
PEGTOWN, the town that never
was, was the proposed new county seat for Hamilton County in 1886.
Following the loss (by fire) of the Hamilton
County Courthouse on 2 February, 1886, the residents of
southwestern Hamilton County petitioned for an election to consider
moving the courthouse nearer to them. The proposed town site of the new
county seat was near Shive on the John Dillard Hunt ranch.
This movement drew much support and an election to consider relocating the
county seat was called for 4 May, 1886. In an effort to retain Hamilton
as the county seat, Hamilton County Commissioners, Simpson
Loyd, A. J. Forester, R. Stinnett, J. P. Grundy, and County Judge
C. W. Cotton negotiated an agreement with the voters of the southern
part of the county to allow the future Mills County to have a strip
of Hamilton County moving the county line from Sims Creek,
seven miles south of Center City to McGirk. In the April
election Hamilton received 878 votes, "Pegtown"
(near Shive) received 689 votes, and Piggtown (Aleman)
received 3 votes.