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Other Information:
The legislation creating Douglas County provided that the site
of the county seat by determined by election in November 1870
(Ga. Laws 1870, p. 13). Following that election, the newly elected
county ordinary [today's probate judge] and John C. Bowden, W.
N. Magouirk, J. H. Winn, and Ephraim Pray were designated as
courthouse commissioners with responsibility for laying out the
site into town lots and selling them, and using the proceeds
to construct a courthouse and jail. Based on that election, the
commissioners are believed to have selected a site known as "Skinned
Chestnut"--which they thought was what a majority of voters
wanted (though the decision resulted in a legal challenge). Here,
in 1871, the courthouse commissioners began selling town lots
and had a three-room wooden courthouse built. In March 1879,
county officials voted to change the shape and size of the courthouse
square. In 1880, construction began on a new two-story brick
courthouse on the newly enlarged courthouse square. Because of
faulty baking of the brick and poor quality mortar, the building
began crumbling in a few years, and the courthouse was abandoned
in 1884. What served as courthouse for the next twelve years
is unclear, but in 1896 a large, two-story brick courthouse with
clock tower was completed on the site of the former courthouse
(see
photo). Designed by architect Andrew J. Bruere & Co.,
this courthouse served the county for the next sixty years. On
Jan. 11, 1956, the old courthouse was destroyed by fire. In a
special bond election in June 1956, Douglas County voters approved
construction of a new courthouse. The new courthouse (see
photo) was built on the site of the previous three courthouses.
Designed by Southern Engineering of Atlanta, the contemporary-styled
structure appeared to be a single story from the front--but because
it was built on the top of a hill actually was two stories encompassing
52 rooms and over 36,000 square feet. By the mid-1990s, Douglas
County had grown so large in population that county government
offices were located in seven different buildings in downtown
Douglasville. County voters subsequently approved a special-purpose
local-option sales tax to fund construction of a new county government
complex. As to its location, one possibility was to tear down
the 1957 courthouse and build a new and larger building on the
old courthouse square. However, the square was too small. Equally
important, the old courthouse was located across the street from
the railroad, and noise from passing trains frequently interrupted
court sessions. So, county officials selected a 50-acre site
about a half mile away to build the new complex. Construction
began in 1997 and was completed in February 1998. Subsequently,
the old courthouse became a local museum and home to the Douglas
County Historical Society and other community organizations.
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Douglas County was created from Campbell and Carroll counties
on Oct. 17, 1870 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws
1870, p. 13). [Click here
to read a legal description of the county's original boundaries.]
Subsequently, Douglas County's borders with Carroll, Cobb, and
Paulding counties were adjusted by acts in 1871, 1874, and 1877.
Georgia's 133rd county was named for Illinois U.S. Senator Stephen
Douglas (1847-1861). Douglas ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic
Party's presidential nominee in 1860 with Georgia's Herschel
Johnson as his running mate.
County Seat:
The Oct. 17, 1870 act creating Douglas County provided that on
the first Monday in November 1870, voters of the new county would
elect county officers and also by ballot would select the site
of the county seat (Ga. Laws 1870, p. 13). In the election, some
voters chose a site near the center of the county, but a larger
number voted for several different named sites (which may have
been different names for the settlement known as "Skinned
Chestnut" or "Skin(t) Chestnut"--the early name of Douglasville).
Thinking that the majority of voters had intended Skinned Chestnut,
the courthouse commissioners chose this site as county seat and
proceeded to sell lots and build a courthouse. However, a group
of citizens filed suit against the commissioners. The case ultimately
went to the Georgia Supreme Court, which ruled against the commissioners.
However, both sides agreed to postpone further action until the
route of the Georgia Western Railroad through Douglas County
was determined. To clear up the matter, the General Assembly
enacted legislation on Feb. 28, 1874, directing that an election
be held on Apr. 7, 1874, to determine the location of the county
seat--but with the provision that the site be located on the
the Georgia Western Railroad (Ga. Laws 1874, p. 390). In the
election, voters confirmed Douglasville as the county seat. On
Feb. 25, 1875, the General Assembly incorporated Douglasville
(Ga. Laws 1875, p. 162).
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 200.3 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 139th out of 159
Population:
Douglas County
City of Douglasville
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