Old Chattahoochee County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Built in 1854 as the Chattahoochee County courthouse in Cusseta, this wooden building now sits in Westville, a village of the 1850s near Lumpkin in Stewart County, Georgia. Facing demolition, it was taken apart, with the boards numbered beforehand, and rebuilt 35 miles away. The simple 50' by 60' weatherboarded structure follows a cross plan with four identical entrances, each with double doors, a transom and side lights. Inside are four downstairs rooms with fireplaces, a central stair, and an upstairs courtroom with two jury rooms. The attic holds five bolted trusses, and the ceiling joists show pegged construction, including one original beam 52 feet long. It is one of only two wooden courthouses left in Georgia, the other being the Marion County courthouse at Tazewell, built in 1848. Both are typical of rural courthouses from before the Civil War. Moving the building preserved it, and it is now open to students of all ages.
Significance in brief: It is one of only two surviving wooden courthouses in Georgia, the other being the old Marion County courthouse at Tazewell (1848). Both are typical of pre-Civil War rural courthouses in the state. It was dismantled board by board and rebuilt at Westville, 35 miles from its original site, which saved it from demolition and made it available for students to study.
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 80001233, listed September 18, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SW of Lumpkin, Lumpkin |
|---|---|
| County | Stewart County |
| Listed | September 18, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001233 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Carpenter Style |
| Areas of significance | Economics, Law, Politics/Government, Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | No longer in use as a courthouse; condition listed as good. Now part of Westville, where students can visit and study it. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.04014, -84.78762 (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 80001233.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q28124293
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.