KNOXVILLE, Ga. — This month, we've traveled around Central Georgia, taking a look back in time and into the hallowed halls of the area's courthouses.
In our first, second, and third weeks, we visited the courthouses of Monroe, Washington, and Hancock Counties.
This week, Suzanne Lawler is taking you to the last stop -- Crawford County. And here, it's a tale of not one but two courthouses.
Patti Temple has called Crawford County home for 23 years.
"What fascinates me about most of Crawford County's people is their history is very important to them," Temple said.
The original courthouse stood on Old Courthouse Lane in Knoxville.
"It did burn, the original one did burn," Temple said.
Construction crews built a wood, brick, and granite building in its place in 1852, and it served its purpose for more than 150 years. Inside, it shows its age, but it was once the gathering place.
"That's where everything took place. If you wanted to talk and gossip, you came up here to the sheriff's office," Temple said.
The space dates back to the horse and buggy days. People would travel to take care of business, and if they needed a place to stay, the third floor provided rugged comfort.
"This is where all the jurors stayed. They had to be male, and they had to own land to be a juror. They'd sleep up here," Temple said.
Hudson's Barbecue is a popular lunch spot in town, and folks are happy to share memories on what they call "the old courthouse."
The old courthouse still flies a Texas flag outside, because the woman who sewed the first Texas flag lived in Knoxville. She tore her petticoat, sewed it back up, and gave it to troops passing through on their way to Texas.
But one day in the 1990s, a judge got tired of the cramped quarters.
"When one of the judges said, 'One of these days I'm going to kick back on my chair, and I'm going to fall out this window, we are not having court anymore in Crawford County. We're moving to Fort Valley until you build us a new courthouse,'" Temple said.
Well, court did move to Fort Valley in Peach County. But it had less to do with a window and more to do with the fact that the old courthouse wasn't handicap accessible.
A new courthouse went up in 2002, but had problems too. The clock tower sagged and caused leaks.
"And when we were told everything that was wrong with it, it's a wonder it didn't already fall, because the trusses didn't meet on each side like it's supposed to," Probate Judge Pam Busbee said.
She says the wheels of justice moved to a neighboring county.
"But as far as the Superior Court, they ended up having to have court in Peach County," Busbee said.
Today the roof doesn't leak, and the courtroom is up to date, but Crawford County's residents want to preserve the past, so the old courthouse will never be forgotten.
"Cause this building is very important to this community," Temple said.
The old courthouse opens up during the Jugfest Festival, so you can go in and take a look around. The money from that event also goes to preserving the spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
MORE HALLOWED HALLS
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