Davidsonville was the legal and municipal heart of the county, where land sales were conducted, elections held, licenses issued, taxes and fines paid, marriages recorded, estates settled, juries gathered to hear court cases, and the guilty served time in jail. Although its regular population was several hundred people, the town served the entire county, and its numbers swelled when circuit court met on the fourth Mondays of April, July, October, and January or when taxes were due. People also came to pick up mail, buy goods at shops, and visit friends. Because the county seat served more than its residents, it attracted law offices, taverns, public houses, shops selling general merchandise and specialties, and services such as those of blacksmiths, doctors, and carpenters, while also functioning as a commercial center where agricultural produce was shipped.