This unusual courthouse has been expanded over the years; it’s very difficult to photograph. This is a side view.
Wilkinson County Courthouse, 1924, Irwinton
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Tag Archives: Georgia Courthouses
Butts County Courthouse, 1898, Jackson
Butts County was formed in 1825, with Jackson becoming the first and only county seat. Three or four [the history is unclear] courthouses served the county before the Civil War, when the courthouse at the time was burned by Union forces during Sherman’s March to the Sea. The present structure was designed by the firm of Bruce & Morgan and built in 1897-98. Court functions have been relocated to a more modern facility.
National Register of Historic Places
Oconee County Courthouse, 1939, Watkinsville
Two courthouses in Watkinsville served as the government center of Clarke County. The first was built in 1806 and the second in 1849. When Oconee County was created in 1875, a new courthouse was built; it was replaced by the present structure in 1939, a project of the WPA.
Columbia County Courthouse, 1856, Appling
Columbia County was created in 1790. The area was settled by Daniel Marshall and the Baptists in 1772. The dead town of Cobbham served briefly as the first county seat, followed by Kiokee, near the Savannah River. Because Kiokee was considered too far from much of the population to be a practical site, William Appling offered land for a new county seat and it was named in his honor. The first courthouse in Appling was built around 1793, followed by a more suitable structure in 1812. It served until the construction of the present courthouse in 1856.
Columbia County is perhaps unique in Georgia in that it has essentially two county seats. By the 1970s, this courthouse was in a bad state of deterioration. Since the county was in the midst of a population boom and the majority of the population was clustered near Evans, the Appling courthouse was no longer adequate for housing all the offices of local government. Around 1980 a new Columbia County Government Center was constructed in Evans, with additional facilities following in the 1990s. Most functions of local government are now carried out there, while a few offices are maintained in this historic antebellum courthouse. Some court proceedings are still held here, making it the oldest courthouse in the state still in use.
National Register of Historic Places
Lincoln County Courthouse, 1915, Lincolnton
Lincoln County was established in 1796 and the first court sessions were held in the home of Joseph Stovall. When Lincolnton was designated county seat circa 1800, a stone courthouse was constructed. A new courthouse was built in 1874 and served until the construction of the present structure. It was designed by prominent Southern architect G. Lloyd Preacher, who was responsible for such landmarks as the Atlanta City Hall and the Henry Grady Hotel, among numerous others.
National Register of Historic Places
Hart County Courthouse, 1971, Hartwell
In a downtown anchored by historic commercial storefronts, Hart County’s 1971 Modern courthouse is anachronistic. Though I’m not a fan of the style in its context here, the grounds are very inviting and pedestrian friendly. This is the fourth courthouse to serve Hart County since its creation in 1854.
World War I Memorial, 1922, Hartwell
In Memoriam of the Hart County Soldiers who died in the World War, 1917-19.
These lost their lives: John W. Adams; James B. Estes; Owen J. Alford; John R. Heaton; George W. Cason; Oscar B. McCurley; Preston B. Carter; Lawrence Nix; Samuel J. Chapellear; Gilbert Thompson; William J. Connelley; Vancey J. Wilson; Charles P. Dodd. Colored: Erskin Allen; Anderson Harris; Henry Gaines.
This row of oaks planted and the bronze tablet erected by the Hartwell Federated Woman’s Club. Hartwell GA., June 1922.
Vietnam War Memorial, 1987, Hartwell
Located on the grounds of Hart County’s courthouse, this moving memorial was one of the first such public installations dedicated to the Vietnam War in Georgia.
From the foothills of northeast Georgia to the jungles of Vietnam we remember the ones who gave their lives.
Ralph Durward Cordell, 1967; Bobby James, 1968; Thaddeus Durrett, 1968; Louis John Clever, 1969; Sammy Howard Whitworth, 1969; Galen Minor Smith, 1969
Never to be Forgotten. The broken V symbolizes the casualties broken dreams, promises and plans. 1959 Vietnam 1975
Dedicated November 15, 1987 by Hart County Citizens to honor the memory of the six Hart County men whose patronage never dimmed; whose loyalty never weakened; whose courage never faltered; so that cherished dreams could be realized for those who come after them.
Bibb County Courthouse, 1924, Macon
Curran R. Ellis’s (1872-1934) Bibb County Courthouse was remodeled by the WPA in 1940. It’s the fourth courthouse to serve the county since 1825.
National Register of Historic Places
Dade County Courthouse, 1926, Trenton
Dade County was created on Christmas Day 1837. The date of the construction of the first courthouse is unknown, but it burned in April 1853. Soon replaced, it was also a victim to fire, this time at the hands of Union troops in November 1863. The next courthouse was built in 1869 and accounts of its demise are unclear. One source states that it burned in 1895, while another notes that it was demolished when the present courthouse was built.
Due to its geographical isolation from the rest of Georgia, Dade County was sometimes noted for its separatist views. It was long believed that a group of impatient Dade County citizens publicly announced their secession from both Georgia and the United States in 1860; in reality, they seceded with the rest of the state. But the legend of the “State of Dade” was born. In 1945, President Truman even sent a telegram congratulating the county on “rejoining” the Union. When the Georgia state quarter was issued in 1999, the controversy was briefly revisited. The map on the quarter was missing its extreme northwestern corner, which is the location of Dade County.
National Register of Historic Places