{"nrhp_refnum":"80001262","name":"Webster County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Courthouse Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Preston","county":"Webster County","state":"GA","lat":32.066362550000065,"lon":-84.53705096599998,"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":"Webster County Courthouse, a brick Neo-Classical courthouse with stone trim on Courthouse Square in Preston, Webster County, Georgia, built in 1915 and designed by T. F. Lockwood.","why_significant":"The form argues the courthouse is architecturally notable because its belvedere is rare in Georgia, where a clock tower is usually used instead. It also describes the building as the most important structure in Preston, a town of only 226 people. The ornate pressed metal courtroom ceiling is cited as its most important interior feature.","narrative":"Webster County Courthouse stands on Courthouse Square in Preston, Georgia, and dates to 1915. T. F. Lockwood is named as architect and builder, with Shields, Geise, and Rawlings as contractor. The brick building with stone trim is Neo-Classical in style. A projecting tetrastyle entrance carries a full entablature and pediment, and a belvedere sits on the hipped roof. First-floor windows are rectangular with striped flat arched lintels of stone and brick, while second-story windows are round arched with emphasized keystones and voussoirs. A denticulated cornice completes the exterior. Inside, the most important feature is an ornate pressed metal courtroom ceiling. The courthouse was listed because of its architecture and local standing. The belvedere is described as rare among Georgia courthouses, which usually have clock towers. It is also called the most important structure in Preston, a community with a population of only 226. The form rates its condition as fair.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"T. F. Lockwood (architect/builder); contractor Shields, Geise, Rawlings","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is rated fair on the survey form.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.270787-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/80001262.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001262/b3ddb14f72-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001262/b3ddb14f72-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rivers Langley; SaveRivers","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Webster_County,_GA_Courthouse.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Rivers Langley; SaveRivers</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:Webster_County,_GA_Courthouse.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93206718","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster_County_Courthouse_(Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16903024"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/webster-county/webster-county-courthouse-80001262/"}