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Other Information: It
is not known what Clarke County first used as a courthouse after
its creation in Dec. 1801. But, it is clear that something was
built in Watkinsville, for the General Assembly in 1806 passed
legislation allowing Clarke County to levy a special tax for
enlarging and rebuilding its courthouse (Ga. Laws 1806, p. 26).
Reportedly, other courthouses were built in 1829 and 1849. In
1871, Athens city officials offered the city hall to be used
as a courthouse if the legislature changed Clarke County's seat
of government from Watkinsville to Athens. In the Nov. 24, 1871
act making Athens the new county seat of Clarke County as of
Jan. 1, 1872, the legislature directed that the courthouse and
clerk's office in Watkinsville be sold, with the proceeds to
be used in renovating the Athens city hall to serve as the new
Clarke County courthouse (Ga. Laws 1871-72, p. 244). In 1874,
the legislature authorized Clarke County to call a referendum
on borrowing money to finance construction of a new courthouse
and jail (Ga. Laws 1874, p. 324). The referendum passed, and
construction began a lot on Prince Ave. about five blocks from
downtown Athens. Completed in 1876, the two-story red brick courthouse
(see
photo and story) served the county until 1914, when Clarke
County built a new courthouse. Located one block from city hall,
the new four-story yellow brick building (see
postcard) was designed by the same architect responsible
for the Fulton
County courthouse (also completed in 1914). In 1990, an addition
to the courthouse and an adjacent parking lot connected by an
atrium were constructed. After Clarke County and the city of
Athens consolidated into a single government in 1991, the building
that formerly served as Athens
City Hall now became home for part of the unified government,
including its chief elected officer--later renamed mayor.
Street Address and Map: Click here
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History: Clarke County was created on Dec. 5, 1801
by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1801, p. 90). Fashioned
entirely from Jackson County, Georgia's 26th county was named
for Gen. Elijah Clarke, who is best remembered for his victory
over the British at the Battle of Kettle Creek in Wilkes County,
Ga.
In 1811, portions of Clarke County were used to create Madison
County (Ga. Laws 1811, p. 114). After the legislature moved the
county seat from Watksinsville to Athens in 1871, angry residents
of western Clarke County pressured the General Assembly to create
a separate county. On Feb. 25, 1875, the legislature created
Oconee County from the western half of Clarke County (Ga. Laws
1875, p. 109). This left Clarke County as the smallest county
in Georgia in terms of area.
Because most residents of Clarke County also lived within
the city limits of Athens, efforts to consolidate the two governments
began in the late 1960s. Referendums in 1969, 1972, and 1982
were approved in Athens but lost in the county-wide vote. Another
consolidation effort began in 1988. Two years later, the General
Assembly provided for a referendum on the unification of Clarke
County and Athens into a single entity known as the Unified Government
of Athens-Clarke County (Ga. Laws 1990, p. 3560). [The town of
Winterville, located on the eastern border of Clarke County,
chose not to be part of the unified government and thus was allowed
to retain its charter as a separate municipality.] In separate
referendums held in Athens and in Clarke County in August 1990,
voters approved the merger, which became effective Jan. 1, 1991.
County Seat: The Dec. 1801 act creating Clarke County
did not designate a county seat. Despite the fact that the University
of Georgia had just opened in Athens, the legislature in 1802
designated Watkinsville as the county's seat of government (Ga.
Laws 1802, p. 57). Four years later, the legislature incorporated
both Watkinsville and Athens (Ga. Laws 1806, pp. 5 and 44). Athens
grew much more rapidly than Watkinsville, and for many years
Athens residents called for their city to be designated county
seat. Finally, in an act of Nov. 24, 1871, the legislature directed
that Athens become the seat of government for Clarke County as
of Jan. 1, 1872 (Ga. Laws 1871-72, p. 244). However, residents
of western Clarke County were so upset over the move that they
began a campaign to have the legislature divide Clarke County
into two counties. In 1875, the legislature approved an act creating
Oconee County with Watkinsville as county seat (Ga. Laws 1875,
p. 109).
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 121.3 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 159th out of 159
Population:
Clarke County
Athens-Clarke County (excluding Winterville, which
is not part of the unified city-county government)
© Carl Vinson Institute of Government,
University of Georgia
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