{"nrhp_refnum":"80000969","name":"Banks County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off U.S. 441","address_restricted":false,"city":"Homer","county":"Banks County","state":"GA","lat":34.33479555400004,"lon":-83.49877799099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Economics","Law","Politics/Government","Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick county courthouse in Homer, Banks County, Georgia, begun in 1860 and finished about fifteen years later after the Civil War. It was built by brothers John Willis Pruitt and Samuel W. Pruitt, who came from Pittsylvania County, Virginia.","why_significant":"The form calls the courthouse an excellent example of the work of carpenter/builders who made the brick near the site, and notes that slave labor was used in construction. It also says the courtroom interior has changed little and has kept its integrity.","narrative":"Begun in 1860 and not finished until about fifteen years later, after the Civil War, the Banks County Courthouse in Homer, Georgia, is a two-story brick building on a stone foundation. Brothers John Willis and Samuel W. Pruitt built it, and the form notes that they came from Pittsylvania County, Virginia, which explains its resemblance to Virginia courthouses. The Greek Revival design has a hipped roof and a full-width portico with Tuscan columns on brick piers. A double stairway leads to the main entrance on the upper floor, and the windows have radiating brick voussoirs. The bricks were made near the site, and enslaved labor was used in construction. The courtroom upstairs is plain, with wide horizontal boards behind the bench, simple benches and space heaters, and it has changed little. It was nominated as an example of the builders' work. At the time of the survey its condition was poor, with loose masonry, wall cracks and deteriorating records.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John Willis Pruitt and Samuel W. Pruitt (brothers); another contractor (unknown) did later interior remodeling","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is rated poor, with deteriorating records stored in a pump house behind the building, loose masonry over windows and doors, and cracks in the walls.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.36407-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/80000969.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000969/ead879dc1a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000969/ead879dc1a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Calvin Beale","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banks_County_Courthouse_(Homer,_Georgia).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Calvin Beale</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banks_County_Courthouse_(Homer,_Georgia).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"85003110","name":"Homer Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/homer-historic-district-85003110/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93205830","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Banks_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16896103"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/banks-county/banks-county-courthouse-80000969/"}