Chattahoochee County Courthouse

The Chattahoochee County Courthouse was built in 1854 by enslaved people. We do not know who the architect or builders were. It is one of the only antebellum wood-framed courthouses still standing in Georgia, and is one of two remaining from 1800-1860 when the Supreme Court of Georgia was formed. The structure is typical of pre-Civil War courthouses in Georgia. The courtroom is on the second floor and has double stairways leading to it. The building was moved to our Lumpkin site in 1975. Right before the move, it was the only wooden courthouse still in use in Georgia and possibly in the Southeast. Courthouses in the 1800s kept marriage records, land transactions, wills, and records pertaining to road construction as well as held trials. A safe in the judge’s office would have held evidence for cases.

The courthouse was formally dedicated on July 4, 1976 by President Jimmy Carter. His maternal greatgrandfather and grandfather, respectively, were Tax Collector and Clerk in this historic building.

It currently holds exhibits showing historic objects from the buildings that are still waiting to be moved to the Columbus location from Lumpkin, GA.