Elbert County Courthouse
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Why it's listed
Elbert County's courthouse, completed in 1893 on Courthouse Square in Elberton, is a two-story brick and granite building over a basement with a heavy, solid look. Its facade has end pavilions with hip roofs and pedimented dormers, a Richardsonian Romanesque arch at the entrance, and six smaller arches above it that originally formed an arcade. A square clock tower at the center supports a lanterned dome. The courtroom has a divided coved ceiling with Ionic pilasters, a balcony reached by steep, narrow steps, and an elevated litigation area. Two attic rooms were once reserved for jurors who needed to stay overnight. Later changes include gray paint, removal of the bell tower balustrade, glass and steel entrance doors, and an enclosed second-floor arcade used as offices. R. H. Hunt, the architect, was born in Elbert County and had left Georgia in 1866. The building dominates the town and serves as the seat of county government and its records.
Significance in brief: The courthouse was designed by R. H. Hunt, an Elbert County native who had left Georgia in 1866, and his commission marked his professional success. It dominates the town of Elberton and serves as the center of local government, a repository for official records and headquarters for a sizeable surrounding area.
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 80001017, 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., Elberton |
|---|---|
| County | Elbert County |
| Listed | September 18, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001017 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | R.H. Hunt (of Hunt & Lamm), architect; L.L. Stevenson, contractor |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Economics, Law, Politics/Government, Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition rated good; remains the county courthouse and center of local government. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Within district | Elberton Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation) |
| Coordinates | 34.11007, -82.86875 (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 80001017.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16992327
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.