Wrightsville is a wonderful little town which has a real interest in preserving its history. The courthouse was restored by the WPA between 1938-40, and again by the county in 1996. Luckily, attempts to demolish it in the 1970s were met with great protest by the people of Wrightsville and Johnson County. An interesting aside: it was the first of nearly 25 courthouses built by Georgia’s most prolific courthouse architect, J. W. Golucke.
National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 
Brian,
The Wrightsville Court House of today is beautiful and the town is charming. Some of my mother’s Walker family lived in the Johnson Country area during the early days and I have heard some of my ancestors talk about the place. Though the place is historically significant today and is well thought of by those of us who have seen her, the Yankees that marched with Sherman back in the fall of 1864 didn’t think too much of Wrightsville. Described in his interesting diary, Lt. Cornelius C. Platter depicted Wrightsville as a kind of back water settlement. Taken from his account:
Monday Nov 28. ’64 ——–
Left camp at half past five o clock. Our Brigade having the advance. Passed through Wrightsville the county seat of Johnson Co. – the most miserable looking town I ever saw — Went into camp 11/2 mile east of Wrightsville at 1. O clock Our Brigade got on the wrong road today and this evening we find ourselves alone with the ordinance train six mile from any other force – The other two Brigades took the right road and are in camp six mile from Johnsonville. Genl Howard & staff were with us until 4 .PM. when they started to find their Hd Qrs is with us Today we passed through a level pine country – mostly “pine woods pasture not very thickly settled – but as no troops had been on this route we found hogs cattle chickens & c in abundance. Quite a number of Horses & Mules were captured in the swamps today also some liquors – The Citizens to whom the animals belonged were hiding from the Yankees in the Swamps – some of them had come 30 mile from Sandersville .Several prisoners were captured today – Nothing but women are found at the houses we pass all the men folks having “skiddalded” .Cannot yet tell where we are going. but from the direction taken, think we will pass between Melton and Augusta. Cross the Savannah River near Jacksonboro on Mobleys Pond and threaten both Charleston and Savannah – reaching a base of supplies at Beaufort S.C. Plenty of Niggers & Mules hid away in these fine swamps. Distance marched 14 mile.
The Cornelius C. Platter Civil War Diary, 1864 – 1865 is the Civil War diary of Lt. (later Capt.) Cornelius C. Platter, of the 81st Ohio Infantry Volunteers, from November, 1864 – April 27, 1865. (Georgia Digital Library)