Because of the need for a larger and more modern facility, Houston County voters approved a special purpose local-option sales tax to fund construction of a new courthouse in Perry. Construction of the new courthouse began in 2000 and was completed in 2002. Courtesy of Don Bowman The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print.

A mid-nineteenth-century politician, Howell Cobb served as congressman (1843-51; 1855-57), Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1849-51), governor of Georgia (1851-53), and secretary of the treasury (1857-60). Following Georgia’s secession from the Union in 1861, he served as president of the Provisional Confederate Congress (1861-62) and a major general of the Confederate army. Cobb was born in Jefferson County on September 7, 1815, the eldest child of Sarah and John Cobb.

Jackie Robinson became the first Black man to play major league baseball in the twentieth century when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He went on to become the first Black player to be named Rookie of the Year, to win the Most Valuable Player award, and to be inducted into major league baseball’s Hall of Fame. Early Life Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson was born near Cairo on January 31, 1919.

James Brown, pictured with Aretha Franklin, was instrumental in pioneering soul music, a dynamic blend of gospel and rhythm and blues. Two of Brown's singles in 1965, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag-Part 1" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)," were milestones of the genre. ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLHOq56imZWjsLqvy6innpyZlnuwvsZomKusmZi5pr%2BOmqmtq12Ywq3A1KucaKqYrsGpuYyapZ1lkqHCpr%2BMpqysoZNivLex0a%2Bgnq9fonpzfo9yZg%3D%3D

James Sala, a leader in the AFL-CIO, presents a check to William R. Pullen for the establishment of the Southern Labor Archives at Georgia State University in Atlanta, circa 1969. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. Requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource should be submitted to Special Collections and Archives at Georgia State University.