When gold was discovered in North Georgia in 1830, the Cherokees were moved to Oklahoma and their land given to white settlers by means of the Cherokee Land Lottery. Floyd County was formed out of that lottery in 1832 and named for General John Floyd, Indian fighter and Congressman.

In 1833, the first courthouse was a small log cabin on the south bank of the Coosa River in Livingston, which was then the county seat. Livingston was a small community about twelve miles away from present-day Rome.

The "Cotton Town" of Rome, the current county seat of Floyd County, was formed in 1834, when two weary travelers stopped to rest beside a spring near the junction where the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers form the mighty Coosa River. Impressed with the abundance of water, a heavy growth of timber and obviously fertile soil, the men enlisted the aid of three other men in developing plans for the new community.

Floyd County’s second courthouse was a square, two- story brick building located on the side of City Clock Hill and faced out over the downtown section. It was located on what was then known as Court Street or about where Fifth Avenue intersects with East First Street today.