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The results were a bit unpopular with many county citizens, particularly residents of the City of Shieldsborough. By 1867, the population	shift to the	Gulf	Coast	was in	full swing.
Shieldsborough,	incorporated	as a	city	10 years	earlier, had
become a resort area for wealthy up-state and Louisiana planters. It already was the largest city in the county, and its population was increasing almost daily.
Although proximity to water transportation provided by the Pearl River at	one time had	made	Gainesville an	ideal county
seat, more and better roads were being built in Hancock County, and now were the primary means of short-distance transportation. What now is Harrison County	still was	part of	Hancock, and
Shieldsborough's geographic location was far superior to that of Gainesville, located at the western edge of the county.
A recount was demanded.
A Special Term of the Police Court was called on May 6, 1867, at which the Board reversed its previous findings by passing the following order:
■It appearing to the satisfaction of the Board that the City of Shieldsborough in said county received a majority of the legal votes of said County for the permanent County Seat of Justice,
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