Oconee County is named for the Oconee River which means “people place” or “nation of the skunk” in the Creek Native American language.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Barrow County
E – Clarke County and Oglethorpe County
S – Greene County
W – Morgan County and Walton County
Created: February 25, 1875 
County Seat:
Watkinsville 1875 – present
County Courthouse – Watkinsville
Location: 23 North Main Street / School Street
Built: 1938 – 1939
Style: Stripped Classical
Architect: William J J Chase
Contractor: Knox Brothers Lumber Company
Description: The building faces northeast and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Watkinsville. On the southwest side the first story is at ground level. The northeast front has a slightly projecting concrete center section with recessed entrance on the second story and three large windows on the third story. The east and west sections are recessed. A narrow horizontal band runs between the floors. The roof line is flat. In the interior there is a cross hallway plan. The large County Superior Court courtroom is located on the southeast side of the second story. The courtroom has a high ceiling and large windows. The building houses the County Superior Court, County Juvenile Court, County Probate Court and County Magistrate Court of the 10th Judicial District. The architect was William J J Chase and contractor was Knox Brothers Lumber Company. An addition was constructed in 1998 extending the building southwards. The architect was Brittain Thompson Bray Brown Inc. and the contractor was Salloun Construction Company, Inc.
See: The architect, William J J Chase also designed courthouses in Carroll County, Coffee County, Cook County, Mitchell County, Polk County, Rockdale County, Seminole County, Troup County and Ware County.
See: The 10th Judicial District includes Banks County, Barrow County, Burke County, Clarke County, Columbia County, Elbert County, Franklin County, Glascock County, Hart County, Jackson County, Lincoln County, Madison County, McDuffie County, Newton County, Oglethorpe County, Richmond County, Taliaferro County, Walton County, Warren County and Wilkes County.
History: In 1802, Watkinsville was selected as the county seat for Clarke Count and the first courthouse was built in 1806 and the second built in 1849. The county was created in 1875 and Watkinsville was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse in 1875 was the second Clarke County courthouse built in 1849. The second courthouse was built in 1875. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1938 to 1939.
County Courthouse – Watkinsville
County Superior Court courtroom
Photos taken 2013 and 2024