Georgia Courthouse Fires
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Georgia Courthouse Fires


The destruction of courthouses greatly affects genealogists in every way. 
Not only are these historic structures torn from our lives, so are the records they housed: 
marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others. Once destroyed they are lost forever. 
Even if they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too. The most 
heartbreaking side of this is the fact that many of our courthouses are destroyed at the 
hands of arsonist. However, not all records were lost.


Reference Materials: Georgia Courthouse Disasters By Paul K. Graham

Baker Co. - Flood - 1925, 1929. 
Baldwin Co. - Fire - 1861. 
Bartow Co. - Originally Cass Co. - . Courthouse destroyed by enemy fire during War 
Between the States in the 1860 
Bulloch Co. - Fire - 1864. 
Burke Co. -Fire - 1825, 1856. 
Calhoun Co. - Fire - 1888, 1920. 
Carroll Co. - Fire - 1927. 
Charlton Co. - Co. site then at Traders Hill. Destroyed by fire in 1877. Present site fire 
19 February 1928. 
Cherokee Co. - Fire - 1865, 1928. 
Clayton Co. - Fire - 1864. 
Clinch Co. - Fire - 1856, 1867. 
Cobb Co. - Fire - 1864. 
Coffee Co. - Fire - 1898, 1938. 
Colquitt Co. - Fire - 1881. 
Crawford Co. - Fire - 1829. 
Dade Co. - Fire - 1865, 1895. 
DeKalb Co. - Fire - 1842, 1898. 
Dooly Co. - Fire - 1847. 
Douglas Co. - Fire - 1896, 1957. 
Early Co. - Fire - 1896. 
Echols Co. - Fire - 1897. 
Emanuel Co. - Fire - 1841, 1855, 1857, 1919, 1938. 
Fayette Co. - Fire - 1983 
Forsyth Co. - Fire - 1973. 
Glynn Co. - Storm - 1896. 
Gordon Co. - Storm - 1888. 
Greene Co. - Town burned by Indians in 1787. 
Gwinnett Co. - Fire - 1871. 
Habersham Co. -Fire - 1856. Blown up in 1898. 
Hall Co. - Fire - 1851, 1882. Tornado in 1936. 
Harris Co. - Set fire by Federal Troops in 1865, but quickly extinguished. 
Hart Co. - Fire - 1900, 1967. Courthouse burned in 1967. Clerk & Ordinary's Office in 
adjacent building. 
Heard Co. - Fire - 1893. 
Henry Co. - Fire - 1824. Some records destroyed by Sherman's men, 1864 
Jenkins Co. - Fire - 1919. 
Lee Co. - Fire - 1856. Co. seat then at Starkville. Fire at Leesburg in 1872. 
Lowndes Co. - Fire - 1858, 1869. 
Macon Co. -Fire - 1857. 
Marion Co. - Fire - 1845. 
McIntosh Co. - Fire - 1864, 1872, 1931. 
Meriwether Co. - Cyclone - 3 March 1893. Fire - 1976. 
Miller Co. - Fire - 1873, 1974. 
Mitchell Co. - Fire - 1869. 
Muscogee Co. - Fire - 1838. 
Newton Co. - Fire - 1883. 
Paulding Co. - Fire - 
Pickens Co. - Fire - 1947. 
Pierce Co. - Fire - 1875. 
Quitman Co. - Fire - 1920. 
Screven Co. - Fire - 1860's, 1896. 
Stewart Co. - Fire - 1922. 
Talbot Co. - Fire - 1890. 
Telfair Co. - Fire in the early 1900's. 
Thomas Co. - Damaged by storm in 1849. 
Toombs Co. - Fire - 1919. 
Troup Co. - Mysterious fire 4 November 1936. 
Twiggs Co. - Fire - 1901. 
Union Co. - Fire - 1859. 
Walker Co. - Fire - 1883. 
Ware Co. - Fire - 1854. 
Warren Co. - Fire - 1909. 
Washington Co. - Fire - 1855, 1864 (Sherman). 
Webster Co. - Fire - 1914. 
Wheeler Co. - Fire - 1916. 
Whitfield Co. -Fire - 1864 (Sherman). 
Wilkes Co. - Fire - 1958. 
Wilkinson Co. - Fire - 1829, 1854, 1864, 1924. 
Worth Co. - Fire - 1879, 1893