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Some see old courthouses
as part community foundation
By Todd DeFeo
Generally, they sit as the centerpiece of a town.
For some, they no longer serve as the centerpiece of government,
now little more than a half-occupied office building housing only one
or two government offices. But courthouses are the heart of a
community.
"It's a foundation to the community," said Carol Atkinson Cross, a
Morgan County resident who describes herself as a history buff and
enthusiast. "I think in any community it would be a foundation."
Historic courthouses have a certain sentiment to them, enthusiasts
and government officials say. But, as they age, they are often too
small for county government operations, leaving officials to either
build new facilities or add on to existing structures.
"I never like to see an old building destroyed because it does away
with our heritage," said Cross, whose great-great-grandfather,
Atharates Atkinson, helped build courthouses around the state. In
1848-49, Atkinson built Greene County's courthouse, which is still in
use today, though it was remodeled in 1938, according to the Carl
Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia.
"I know we have to live in the modern age. But there is a use
somehow for these old buildings," Cross said. "As long as we can keep
these old buildings, we keep a lot of our past."
In 1987, Banks County replaced its 1860s courthouse, which almost
fell to the wrecking ball. But, residents spearheaded an effort to
refurbish the historic structure, and the building is now a museum and
a community meeting hall, according to the Vinson Institute.
In Jackson County, a new courthouse, which opened in late August on
the edge of Jefferson, remains a source of controversy for residents
and politicians. Plans for a new facility to replace the historic 1879
structure drew sharp criticism from residents who opposed the new
building's location - away from downtown.
However, the building is not completely abandoned. The county's
elections office uses the historic courthouse, located on Washington
Street in downtown Jefferson.
"They will stay there for a while until we decide what to do with
the building," Jackson Commission Chairwoman Pat Bell said. "It's
really better for the courthouse to keep someone it than to take
everybody out."
Jackson County officials have tossed around ideas for other
departments which could use the space, but do not have any firm plans.
"It was my hope that it might be used for some office, like the
(Jackson County Area) Chamber of Commerce or that it could be turned
into a museum for the county," Bell said.
Though no firm numbers are available, any refurbishment of the old
Jackson County courthouse would be expensive, though federal grants
may be available to help offset renovation costs, interim county
manager Leonard Myers said.
Predating Jackson County, Madison County officials in 1996 moved
operations out of the historic 1901 courthouse to the former
Danielsville Elementary School, located a couple of blocks away in
Danielsville. The old courthouse sat vacant from 1996 until the
Madison County Chamber of Commerce and the county's Industrial
Development Authority later moved into the building.
The building remains under renovation.
"It's an ongoing process," County Clerk Morris Fortson said.
"There's not any particular deadline for it to be finished. Of course,
we didn't want to spend $2 million either."
Like Jackson and Madison counties, Barrow County officials are
looking to head down a similar road with the planned construction of a
criminal justice complex on roughly 155 acres near Winder. The new
facility means court will no longer be held in the historic courthouse
in the city center.
But that doesn't mean the circa-1920 building or its 1989 addition
are going to waste. Officials hope to relocate some county offices and
Lanier Technical College into the facility to make sure it remains an
important part of the Winder and Barrow County scene.
"That's what we're concerned about," said Keith Lee, chief of
operations for Barrow County. "The courthouse is a centerpiece. It
will still be the symbol of Barrow County, the pride of Barrow
County."
There are currently two courtrooms in the Barrow County courthouse,
Lee said. A new facility would be larger and have room for expansion,
similar to Jackson County's courthouse complex.
Though building a new facility is not necessarily cost-effective,
refurbishing historic courthouses presents its own unique challenges.
Morgan County officials began restoring their building about two
years ago, but the $1.8 million project has fallen behind. However, no
one in county government wants to talk in-depth about the undertaking.
"We're in a renovation process, and it's taken longer than we
thought it would," Morgan County Commission Chairman Mack Bohlen said
Thursday. He declined to comment further on the project, citing
potential litigation.
"We've put a lot of time and effort into this project," acting
Morgan County Manager Chuck Jarrell said.
"It's our greatest resource," Jarrell said. "Just like any town,
it's the center of Morgan County and it's our most historic building
here and it's a grand building."
But for the courthouses that still operate as they were originally
designed, they are, in essence, one-stop shops for community
information. They hold court records, deeds and genealogical
information.
"It's kind of the steps to the community," Cross said.
But no matter their function, courthouses remain an important piece
of a community's heritage.
"It's embedded in our history," Bell said of the Jackson County
Courthouse. "And it's important to our history to keep it."
Published April 25, 2005,
in the Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald.
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