The Dougherty County Courthouse is located at 225 Pine Avenue, Albany, GA 31701; phone: 229-431-2186.
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The county was established in 1853 from part of Baker County. It was named for Charles Dougherty [1801-1853]. Dougherty was an attorney who launched a failed campaign for the Governorship in 1939.
Created by an act of the Georgia state legislature on December 15, 1853, Dougherty County was formed from portions of Baker County, which was established earlier in 1825. At the time of its formation, Dougherty County was famed for its high production of cotton, corn, sugar cane, rice and tobacco, and its count seat of Albany was the center of trade throughout the region. The county occupies land ceded from the Creek Nation in 1825. By 1834, nearly the entirety of the Creek Nation was forcibly removed and an influx of settlers moved westward into Georgia, including the region which would become Dougherty County.