Appling County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Appling County Courthouse occupies a square of about two acres in Baxley, bounded on all four sides by roads. Built in 1907-08 for $50,000 to designs credited to H. L. Lewman, with Falls City Construction Co. as contractor, it is a two-story Neo-Classical building topped by an octagonal domed clock tower. The facade has a two-story, four-column Corinthian portico with a pediment and an oculus, set between end pavilions. Side elevations have central pedimented pavilions with Corinthian pilasters, and the walls show banded rustication in limestone and concrete. Inside, a cross plan keeps all four entrances open, and Georgia marble wainscoting rises 56 inches on the first floor. A red brick jail added at the rear in 1967 is considered non-historic. The courthouse was listed because it holds the county's records of marriages, wills and land transactions, serves as a focal point of civic life, and still has its historic use and key interior features.
Significance in brief: The survey form states that, as a repository for records of marriages, wills and land transactions, the courthouse chronicles the county and is a focal point in the life of every citizen. Staff notes also cite continued historic use and the surviving first-floor interior materials and features, including a cast spiral stair.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80000965, listed September 18, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Courthouse Sq., Baxley |
|---|---|
| County | Appling County |
| Listed | September 18, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000965 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | H. L. Lewman (architect/builder); Falls City Construction Co. (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Neo-Classical |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Economics, Politics/Government, Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked good; the form notes continued historic use, and a non-historic jail and administration building stands on the site. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 31.77806, -82.34923 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80000965.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16160695
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.