The Jackson County Historic Courthouse was built in Jefferson, Georgia in 1879. This Italianate-style building was the third structure built to serve as the county courthouse. It is unsure when the first courthouse was built, but is thought to have been between 1803 and 1806. Jefferson became the County Seat of Jackson County, Georgia officially in 1806. This first structure was a modest log cabin that was located just south of the public square and served as both the courthouse and jail. When a larger building was needed for the county, a two-story brick building was constructed in the middle of the public square. This second courthouse is thought to have been built around 1817 and served for over 60 years. The county began to outgrow this brick courthouse though. Coupled with the poor drainage and being at the bottom of a hill, citizens and officials were having a difficult time attending to official matters due to a ‘sea of ankle-deep mud’ surrounding it after the rain. A more suitable location was chosen atop a hill just off the square to quell the drainage problem. Construction began on the third courthouse in 1879, which proudly served its people for 125 years. In 1908, this courthouse saw improvements made: the addition of the clock tower, three fire proof vaults to house the county’s important documents, the courtroom balcony, a steam heating system, and a water tower and water works system together brought it into the 20th century. In 2004, the fourth and current courthouse began its tenure as Jackson County’s temple of justice.
The third courthouse sat empty and vacant until the Jackson County Historic Courthouse Restoration Committee was formed in 2007 and restoration began on the building in 2009. Their mission was to bring the building back to its 1908 glory and so the work began. On Aug. 10, 2014, the courthouse reopened under the new moniker of Jackson County Historic Courthouse, serving as the Jackson County Welcome Center and Historic Archives. In August of 2020, the second-floor courtroom restoration was completed and the entire building was open to the public. The Jackson County Historic Courthouse serves as an event venue and the home of the Welcome Center and Historic Archives - fast becoming a cherished and vital part of the Jackson County community.
