DeKalb County Courthouse

Photo: Ed Jackson

Note: This is NOT the official web site of DeKalb County or of any county officials; it is an educational web site about the history of the county courthouse and the county itself.  For the address and phone number of the courthouse and county officials, see the NaCO web page for DeKalb County, linked below:

Address and Phone Number: See NaCO web page for DeKalb County

Location: Decatur

Date Built: 1967

Architectural Style: Modern

Designer:

Other Information: The first courthouse was a frame structure built in 1823, followed by two other wooden buildings, both of which burned, one in 1842 and one in 1898. A fourth courthouse was built in 1916; it now houses the DeKalb Historical Society. In 1997, DeKalb County voters aproved a homestead option sales tax that included funds for an addition to the current courthouse. In January 2001, the county awarded a $32 million contract for construction of a seven-story addition on the back of the courthouse.

County Courthouse Historical Marker: Click here

County History: DeKalb County was created from Fayette and Gwinnett counties on Dec. 9, 1822 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1822, p. 21) Georgia's 54th county was named for Baron Johann DeKalb, who served as a major general in the Continental Army and was wounded in the Battle of Camden, South Carolina.

In 1853, Fulton County was created entirely from DeKalb County (Ga. Laws 1853-54. p. l300). Portions of DeKalb were used to create Campbell County (1828) and Cherokee County (1831) and were also transferred to the following existing counties: Coweta (1826), Gwinnett (1840), Milton (1859), and Rockdale (1875).

County Seat: Decatur [named for U.S. naval hero Stephen Decatur; incorporated and designated county seat Dec. 10, 1823].

Maps

• Historical Maps of DeKalb County
• Georgia DOT Map of DeKalb County, pdf (1356K)

Size of County (Total Area): 270.9 square miles

County Rank in Total Area: 113th out of 159

Population:

DeKalb County

• 665,865 (2000)
• DeKalb County Historical Population Profile

City of Decatur

• 18,147 (2000)

© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

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