Butts County - American Courthouses

Butts County is named for Samuel Butts, who was a member of the Georgia Militia killed in the battle against the Creek Indians during the War of 1812.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Henry County and Newton County

E – Jasper County

S – Monroe County and Lamar County

W – Spalding County and Henry County

Created: December 24, 1825

County Seat:

Jackson 1825 – present

County Courthouse – Jackson

Location: 25 3rd Street / Oak Street

Built: 1897 – 1898

Style: High Victorian Eclectic with Colonial Revival

Architect: Alexander C Bruce & Thomas H Morgan

Contractor: John H McKenzie & Son

Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Jackson. The south front front has a central one story porch with three arches and balcony on the second story. On the east side is a large square dark red colored brick clock tower with open arches on the third story and clock and steep roof above. At the west end of the building is a large square tower with sloped roof. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the first story is a cross plan. The former courtroom is located on the second story and has a ceiling of beaded boards laid in patterns. The apse behind the bench has a small stained glass window and an organic plaster frieze in the entablature. Cast iron Corinthian columns support the balcony. There is a bow shaped railing separating the bar and public sections. A dark wooden dade alternated in plain and grooved stripes encircles the room. The building was restored in 2019 to 2020. The architect was Clark Patterson Lee Architects and the contractor was CT Darnell Construction of Alpharetta. The building now houses the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Butts County Courthouse

County Judicial Center – Jackson

Location: 625 West 3rd Street / Old Griffin Road

Built: 2005 – 2008

Style: Modern

Architect: Pete Sutton & Associates

Contractor: Malone Construction for Phase I and Hogan Construction for Phase II

Description: The building faces north and is a two story cream colored stucco, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds on the west side of the center of Jackson to the west of the old courthouse. The north front has high arched portico with clock, rising above the roof line. On either side are high arched windows and lower two story wings. The roof line is flat. The building is attached to the Administration Center on the east side. In the interior is a high lobby area on the north side with large windows. On the east side of the first story is the large County Superior Court courtroom and also on the first story is a small courtroom on the north side and a small courtroom on the south side. The building houses the County Superior Court, County Juvenile Court, County Probate Court and County Magistrate Court of the 6th Judicial District. In 2019 to 2020, the west wing was renovated to house the County Judicial Center. The architect was Clark Patterson Lee Architects and the contractor was CT Darnell Construction of Alpharetta.

See: The 6th Judicial District includes Carroll County, Clayton County, Coweta County, Fayette County, Heard County, Henry County, Lamar County, Meriwether County, Monroe County, Pike County, Spalding County, Troup County and Upson County.

History: The county was created in 1825 and Jackson was selected as the county seat. The first court met at the house of Jacob Holly. The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1826. The second courthouse was a larger structure built in 1827 and which burned. The third courthouse was built in 1828 and the fourth courthouse was built in 1860 but was burned in 1864 during the Civil War. The fifth courthouse was constructed in 1897 to 1898 at a cost of $24,980. In 2019 to 2020, the County Administration Building was constructed and the west section of the old building constructed in 2005 to 2008 was renovated for use as the County Judicial Center, the sixth courthouse, at a cost of $6,000,000.

County Administration Building – Jackson

Location: 625 West 3rd Street / Old Griffin Road

Built: 2005 – 2008

Style: Modern

Architect: Pete Sutton & Associates / Clark Patterson Lee Architects

Contractor: Malone Construction for Phase I and Hogan Construction for Phase II /

CT Darnell Construction of Alpharetta

Description: The building faces north and is a two story cream colored stucco, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious grounds on the west side of the center of Jackson to the west of the courthouse. The north front has high porch rising to a square tower with clock. The roof line is flat.