{"nrhp_refnum":"78001004","name":"Old Richmond County Courthouse","other_names":["Old Government House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"432 Telfair St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Augusta","county":"Richmond County","state":"GA","lat":33.46930558200006,"lon":-81.95935123899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-12-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story stuccoed brick building at 432 Telfair Street in Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, built in 1801 as the county courthouse and later enlarged and converted into a private residence.","why_significant":"It is significant for its role in the social, architectural and governmental history of Augusta, serving first as the county courthouse and then as a home for prominent Georgia and South Carolina families. It is also a fine example of one building adapted through four architectural styles: Federal, Regency, Greek Revival and Early Victorian.","narrative":"Built in 1801 as the Richmond County Courthouse, this brick building on Telfair Street in Augusta served the courts for about twenty years before the county outgrew it. It was then sold and became a private home, first for banker and former mayor Samuel Hale. Later owners included Paul Fitzsimmons, a member of a wealthy Charleston family, and the Murphey family, who held it for most of the period from 1877 to 1953. Its original plain Federal design was changed over time: wings, stucco and delicate ironwork gave it a Regency look, while Greek Revival doors and mantels and an Early Victorian stair were added later. The central block remains largely unaltered, and the wings were adapted for apartments. The Junior League restored it before Historic Augusta took ownership in 1972. The architects of the original building and additions are unknown. Its value lies in its governmental past, its prominent residents and its layered architecture.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal original, with Regency, Greek Revival and Early Victorian modifications","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Described as in an excellent state of preservation, occupied and used as offices and headquarters of Historic Augusta, Inc., which hoped to sell it to a sympathetic owner.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.484635-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/78001004.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001004/b85559199a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001004/b85559199a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Gwringle","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Richmond_County_Courthouse,_Front.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Gwringle</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Richmond_County_Courthouse,_Front.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93209391","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Government_House_(Augusta,_Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084120"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/richmond-county/old-richmond-county-courthouse-78001004/"}