Wilkes County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Built in 1904 on Court Street in Washington, Georgia, the Wilkes County Courthouse is a two-story building of orange pressed brick on rough-faced ashlar foundations. Its irregular massing includes a rounded turret-like tower, a low-arched entry, and round-arched upper windows with brick voussoirs and terra cotta ornament. A tall, steeply pitched roof was lost in a 1956 fire, and the roof is now flat. Behind it stands an attached jail, built at the same time and also designed by Frank Milburn, a Kentucky-born architect based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The courthouse was listed because Wilkes was the first county so named under Georgia's 1777 constitution and has operated continuously since then. The building holds records of wills, marriages and deeds, hosts court, and has been a community focal point. It is also valued as one of the few Georgia courthouses in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is significant for politics and government because Wilkes is Georgia's oldest county and has operated continuously since 1777. It is also significant in local history as the place for records and courts, and in architecture as one of few Richardsonian Romanesque courthouses in Georgia, linked to architect Frank Milburn.
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 80001267, listed September 18, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Court St., Washington |
|---|---|
| County | Wilkes County |
| Listed | September 18, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001267 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Frank Milburn |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Economics, Law, Politics/Government, Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; the courthouse and jail have remained in continuous governmental use, and the original tall roof was destroyed in a 1956 fire. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Washington Historic District |
| Coordinates | 33.73829, -82.73922 (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 80001267.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8002460
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.