Quitman County Courthouse and Old Jail
Also known as: See Also:Quitman County Jail
Why it's listed
Two county buildings share a site on Main Street in Georgetown, Georgia, near the Alabama border. The courthouse, completed in 1939, is a one-story brick building with a hipped wood-shingle roof, limestone detailing at the entrance, and eight-over-eight windows. Architect T. Firth Lockwood, Jr. of Columbus designed it, and D.M. Still built it with federal Public Works Administration money. It replaced a wooden courthouse that burned in 1920. Its Stripped Classical style, with Colonial Revival touches, reflects a 1930s move toward plainer public buildings. Interior wood floors, beaded board wainscoting and original hardware survive. Northeast of it stands the 1891 jail, a two-story brick building with sixteen-inch-thick walls, arched barred windows and original cell doors. It served as the county jail until 1965 and was being converted to offices. The complex was listed for its architecture and for its role in the political and governmental history of Quitman County.
Significance in brief: The courthouse is a good, intact example of Stripped Classical design by architect T. Firth Lockwood, Jr., and was built with federal Public Works Administration funds during the Depression. Together with the 1891 jail, it has been the center of county government. The jail is a well-preserved late 19th-century example.
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 95000718, listed June 8, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Georgetown |
|---|---|
| County | Quitman County |
| Listed | June 8, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000718 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1891-1945 |
| Architect / builder | T. Firth Lockwood, Jr. - Architect of Courthouse; D.M. Still - Contractor of Courthouse |
| Architectural style | Stripped Classical (with Colonial Revival detailing) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Courthouse remains in use as a courthouse; the jail, vacated in 1965, was being rehabilitated for county offices at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 31.88588, -85.10914 (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 95000718.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q29094742
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.