Hall County had its beginning in 1818, its territory taken from Indian treaty lands. It is named for Dr. Lyman Hall, signer of the Declaration of Independence and later governor of Georgia. The county seat, Gainesville, may have been named for a family that settled there early in the 19th century, or it may refer to General Edmund P. Gaines who arrested Aaron Burr for treason. Gainesville was the first Southern city to have electric street lights.