Camilla Commercial Historic District

Downtown Camilla's commercial core, together with the Mitchell County Courthouse and square, forms a district of roughly seven acres in southwest Georgia. Its one- to three-story brick buildings share party walls and uniform setbacks, and they date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Brick corbeling, cornices, cast iron columns, wooden storefronts and plate glass windows are the most visible features. Camilla was laid out in 1858 as the county seat, with a gridiron plan around a central square. A new courthouse built in 1890 freed the west side of the square for business, and commerce developed somewhat apart from the courthouse, growing from the late 1880s to the 1920s after a railroad brought settlers and trade. The district served retailing, banking, professional services and entertainment for Mitchell County and parts of neighboring Bacon County. The white marble Art Deco courthouse of the mid-1930s, designed by Atlanta architect William J. J. Chase and built with Public Works Administration help, contrasts with the brick storefronts.