•October 21, 2020•
This series of articles noting Sullivan’s 175th anniversary is focused on answering one question. Why did voters of the new county of Moultrie choose an empty spot at Asa’s Point near a mosquito and rattlesnake infested lake as their county seat instead of the booming village of Nelson (a. k. a. East Nelson or Old Nelson) just four miles to the southeast?
The 1881 Combined History of Shelby and Moultrie Counties says Nelson lost because it was not in the center of the county. It also said that unclear land titles caused the whole town to be shifted a quarter mile east and renamed East Nelson a few years before the county seat fight.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.