The Colonial Revival Courthouse was built in 1924.
Early 1817,
Wilkinson County apparently had a courthouse, for the legislature
designated the town boundaries of Irwinton as all areas falling
within 400 yards of the courthouse (Ga. Laws 1817, p. 65). In 1818,
the General Assembly authorized a special tax to be levied in
Wilkinson County for the purpose of building a courthouse (Ga. Laws
1818, p. 25). It is not clear whether a new courthouse was built
utilizing this tax. A courthouse built in 1829 burned down that same
year. At some date, a new courthouse was built -- but in 1854 it too
was destroyed by fire. A new courthouse built before the Civil War
was burned by Sherman's troops in 1864. At an unknown date, another
courthouse was built--but it burned in 1924, with the present
courthouse built in its place the same year.
County History: On June 16, 1802, the Creek Indians and
U.S. commissioners signed the Treaty of Fort Wilkinson, which ceded
Creek lands in two different areas to Georgia. The northern cession
involved land west of the Oconee River, which the legislature
divided into two new counties -- Wilkinson and Baldwin -- on May 11,
1803
Georgia's 28th county was named for Gen. James B. Wilkinson
(1757-1825), one of the U.S. commissioners who negotiated the Treaty
of Fort Wilkinson, in which the Creeks ceded the land that would be
used to form Wilkinson County. Gen. Wilkinson, who served in the
American Revolution and War of 1812, was the first governor of the
Louisiana Territory (1805-1807).
County Seat: In 1811, the legislature directed that the
county seat be located on land lot 83 in the 4th district and be
known as Irwinton . Incorporated by an act of Dec. 4, 1816 (Ga. Laws
1816, p. 72), Irwinton was named for Jared Irwin (1751-1818), who
served as Georgia governor for three terms (1796-1798 and
1806-1809).
County History: Wilkinson County was formed in 1803 by an act
of the State Legislature. The county is comprised of land acquired
from the Creek Indians as a result of the Treaty of Fort Wilkinson
in 1802 and the Treaty of Washington in 1805. For a brief time,
Wilkinson County was bounded on the north by Baldwin County, on the
east by the Oconee River, and on the west and south by the Ocmulgee
River. Within a few years, the present day counties of Twiggs,
Bleckley, Dodge, Wheeler, and parts of Bibb, Pulaski, Wheeler, and
Laurens Counties were carved from Wilkinson County. Additional
territory was also became part of Baldwin County. The area of
Wilkinson County is 453 square miles, making it the 43rd largest
county in state in terms of surface area.
