The courthouses of Georgia's 159 counties hold the keys to the history of individual families and entire communities alike. Internationally recognized photographer Greg Newington captures the prominence and character of these great structures, paying tribute to the community's investment in preserving historic courthouses for future generations.

Few places in the United States feel the impact of courthouse disasters like the state of Georgia. Over its history, 75 of the state's counties have suffered 109 events resulting in the loss or severe damage of their courthouse or court offices. This book documents those destructive events, including the date, time, circumstance, and impact on records. Each county narrative is supported by historical accounts from witnesses, newspapers, and legal documents. Maps show the geographic extent of major courthouse fires. Record losses are described in general terms, helping researchers understand which events are most likely to affect their work.

The State of Georgia is second only to Texas for the largest number of counties and courthouses in the country. Georgia is also the largest state east of the Mississippi River. Georgia County Courthouses: The Architecture of Living Monuments catalogs and celebrates each of the 159 courthouses in the state of Georgia. One might think ""you've seen one courthouse, you've seen them all""—but what I quickly learned as the sole photo documentarian on this project is each county and courthouse offers a diverse variety of architecture spanning Greco Roman, Victorian architecture to coastal courthouses made with Tabby Concrete. The book also inspires beyond the aesthetic, and provides a rich record for history buffs; both Georgians and non-Georgians alike as the county markers on each of the courthouse grounds pays tribute, for example, to those who died during the civil wars and to those who helped define Georgia's unique history. People like Joanna Troutman from Crawford County. In 1835 she gave a lone star flag to Georgia soldiers who were going to fight for the independence of Texas. The flag was later adopted as the Texas Emblem. It is my hope that this comprehensive lens on Georgia's past will provide a launch pad for future discoveries and help promote tourism in our great state both on and off the beaten path. As a proud citizen of Georgia I can't think of a better way to honor our unrepeatable history and place each county and courthouse in the spotlight. Please enjoy. —from the Introduction by Rhett Turner

Their songs insist that the arrival of the railroad and the appearance of the tiny depot often created such hope that it inspired the construction of the architectural extravaganzas that were the courthouses of the era. In these buildings the distorted myth of the Old South collided head-on with the equally deformed myth of the New South."

Horace King (1807-1885) built covered bridges over every large river in Georgia, Alabama, and eastern Mississippi. That King, who began life as a slave in Cheraw, South Carolina, received no formal training makes his story all the more remarkable. This is the first major biography of the gifted architect and engineer who used his skills to transcend the limits of slavery and segregation and become a successful entrepreneur and builder. John S. Lupold and Thomas L. French Jr. add considerably to our knowledge of a man whose accomplishments demand wider recognition. As a slave and then as a freedman, King built bridges, courthouses, warehouses, factories, and houses in the three-state area. The authors separate legend from facts as they carefully document King’s life in the Chattahoochee Valley on the Georgia-Alabama border. We learn about King’s freedom from slavery in 1846, his reluctant support of the Confederacy, and his two terms in Alabama’s Reconstruction legislature. In addition, the biography reveals King’s relationship with his fellow (white) contractors and investors, especially John Godwin, his master and business partner, and Robert Jemison Jr., the Alabama entrepreneur and legislator who helped secure King’s freedom. The story does not end with Horace, however, because he passed his skills on to his three sons, who also became prominent builders and businessmen. In King’s world few other blacks had his opportunities to excel. King seized on his chances and became the most celebrated bridge builder in the Deep South. The reader comes away from King’s story with respect for the man; insight into the problems of financing, building, and maintaining covered bridges; and a new sense of how essential bridges were to the southern market economy.