{"nrhp_refnum":"80000992","name":"Clay County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off GA 37","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Gaines","county":"Clay County","state":"GA","lat":31.605269752000027,"lon":-85.04964472999995,"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":"Two-story hipped roof brick courthouse in Fort Gaines, Clay County, Georgia, built 1871-73 by an unknown architect/builder, with a historic jail on the same one-acre parcel.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the oldest courthouse in the Pataula Judicial Circuit, little changed architecturally. Its residential appearance is said to reveal community cultural traditions, and as the repository of official records it is a focal point of citizens' lives.","narrative":"Built in 1871-73 in Fort Gaines, the Clay County Courthouse is a two-story hipped roof brick building, now painted white, with heart of pine floors. It looks more like an antebellum plantation house than a courthouse. A square-columned, distyle portico carries a second-floor balcony, and colossal pilasters mark each end of the facade. A central hall runs straight through the building, much like an early dog trot cabin, and the outside doors are removed in summer so breezes can pass through. The small courtroom has a narrow counter for a bench, a railed witness box, four remaining fireplaces with mantels, and seven spectator benches on each side with fleur-de-lis end posts. The nomination describes it as the oldest courthouse in the Pataula Judicial Circuit and notes that it has changed little, apart from some remodeling in 1970. Its domestic appearance is taken to reflect community cultural traditions, and the nominated acre also includes the historic jail.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Carpenter Style with Classic details","criteria":[],"status_note":"Some remodeling in 1970; still the county courthouse, with interior first-floor materials and features continuing; condition boxes unreadable.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.762101-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/80000992.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000992/7dba52c059-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000992/7dba52c059-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Robbie Honerkamp","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clay_County_Courthouse_in_Fort_Gaines_Georgia.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Robbie Honerkamp</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:Clay_County_Courthouse_in_Fort_Gaines_Georgia.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84000970","name":"Fort Gaines Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/fort-gaines-historic-district-84000970/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93205932","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_County_Courthouse_(Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q38252207"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/clay-county/clay-county-courthouse-80000992/"}