The land upon which Johnsonburg was built belonged at one time to William Armstrong. The pioneer log school house stood in the old camp ground,a little northwest of the grist mill near Federal Spring.
On JUne 8,1753 the Assembly passed an act errecting the upper part of Maorris County into a new countyto be known as the county of Sussex.It was agreed that Log Gaol was to be the county government seat and that a courthouse and jail to be erected.
On Nov 20,1753 the first court of Justice was opened at Johnsburg in the house of Jonathan Pettit.Upon the formation of the county on eof the most pressing needs to be supplied was the erection of a jail.Accordingly on March 21,1754 the board of Justices met at teh dwelling of Samuel Green near where the village of Johnsonburg now stands and agreed to erect a jail and courthouse.
In the course of a few weeks the buildings were completed. The old Log Gaol stood on the lot where later Robert Blair's wagon house stood. At that time there were but a few housesin what is now Johnsonburg and they were built of Logs. The cost to build teh jail was 41 pounds and 3 shillings.It might be expected that such a cheaply made jail was not well adapted for teh safe keeping of prisoners and this was true as many jail breaks occured.
Before the Revolution there wasa noted hotel situated about 1 1/2 miles from Log Gaol, on what was known as the back road into Newton>It's large old fashioned swigning signwhich hung on a large post in fornt of the hotel had a balck moon painted on a white background hence the name Dark Moon Tavern.
After a period of 8 years,6 months and 4 days Log Gaol ceased to be the county seat of Sussex County,which as stated before at that time included all of that which is Warren County today. |
