{"nrhp_refnum":"80001010","name":"Dawson County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Courthouse Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dawsonville","county":"Dawson County","state":"GA","lat":34.42139785100005,"lon":-84.11891429099995,"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 brick county courthouse on Courthouse Square in Dawsonville, Dawson County, Georgia, built in 1858 by Wesley McGuire, Henderson, with contractors Wilson and John Hackenhull, and enlarged with an addition in 1958.","why_significant":"The courthouse resembles other Carpenter Style courthouses in north Georgia, especially the old White County courthouse. It sits on a tiny square in the center of Dawsonville. It is one of only about half a dozen Georgia courthouses remaining from the 1850s.","narrative":"Dawson County's courthouse occupies a small square at the center of Dawsonville, Georgia. Built in 1858 of brick, it was contracted at 50 feet long and 36 feet wide, with the same form, height and materials as the courthouse in Gainesville, and was to be finished within twelve months. The design is very plain, with a gabled roof, a cross plan, nine-over-nine windows and a transomed double doorway. Four interior chimneys remain. A 1958 addition closed off one arm of the cross plan. Inside, the halls are crowded and acoustical tile has been added to the courtroom, so the exterior and the site carry the building's architectural importance. In 1977 the red brick was being painted cream. The courthouse resembles other Carpenter Style courthouses in north Georgia, especially the old White County courthouse, and is one of roughly six Georgia courthouses surviving from the 1850s. The county commissioner described it as the county's most famous landmark.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Wesley McGuire, Henderson; contractors Wilson and John Hackenhull","architectural_style":"Carpenter Style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair with space limited; needs some work, and the red brick was being painted cream in 1977. Owned by the county.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.7835-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/80001010.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001010/f3f6cd3599-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001010/f3f6cd3599-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Calvin Beale","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dawson_County_Georgia_Courthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Calvin Beale</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dawson_County_Georgia_Courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93205960","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson_County_Courthouse_(Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14686614"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/dawson-county/dawson-county-courthouse-80001010/"}