Ben Hill County is named for Benjamin Hill, who was a Confederate and a United States Senator.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Wilcox County and Telfair County
E – Coffee County
S – Irwin County
W – Turner County
Created: November 6, 1906 
County Seat:
Fitzgerald 1906 – present
County Courthouse – Fitzgerald
Location: 401 East Central Avenue / Sheridan Street
Built: 1909 – 1910
Style: Neo-Classical Revival
Architect: H H Huggins
Contractor: Falls City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky
Description: The building faces north and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Fitzgerald. Four Corinthian tetrastyle entrances give a sense of grandeur to the exterior. The pediments of the entrances have a foliate design with center cartouches, Baroque in spirit. Pilasters are on the corners of the building and a balustrade crowns the roof. There are small balconies on the second story above the entrances. On the north side, the east and west sections of the building project from the main building. On the roof is a large platform with white colored railing. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the cross-styled plan utilizes grey marble. The County Superior County courtroom is located on the second story and has been renovated and modernized recently. The ceiling was lowered and the tops of the pilasters were covered to the detriment of the spatial balance of the room. The jury box is now placed at an angle to the judge’s bench and faces the witness stand. The building houses the County Superior Court, County Juvenile Court, County Probate Court and Magistrate Court of the 8th Judicial District. On the south side is the old two story red colored brick Jail built in 1906 which was converted into offices.
See: The contractor Falls City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky
See: The 8th Judicial District includes Baldwin County, Bleckley County, Candler County, Crisp County, Dodge County, Dooly County, Emanuel County, Greene County, Hancock County, Jasper County, Jefferson County, Johnson County, Jones County, Laurens County, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Pulaski County, Putnam County, Telfair County, Toombs County, Treutlen County, Twiggs County, Washington County, Wheeler County, Wilcox County and Wilkinson County
Note: The courthouse originally had a clock tower, but the tower was removed in the 1950’s.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Ben Hill County Courthouse.
History: The county was created in 1906 and Fitzgerald was selected as the county seat. The courthouse is the first and only courthouse erected in the county. The cost of construction was $50,000.
County Courthouse – Fitzgerald
County Superior Court courtroom
Old County Jail – Fitzgerald
Portable prisoner cage “Paddy Wagon”
Photos taken 2013 and 2018