Historic Chattahoochee County Courthouse at Historic Westville
Built in 1854 in Cusseta, Georgia, the Old Chattahoochee County Courthouse is one of the last surviving antebellum wooden courthouses in Georgia. It was constructed soon after Chattahoochee County was created and later moved to Historic Westville for preservation. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1980.
This courthouse is a rare example of early county government architecture. It is a wood-framed building measuring about 50 by 60 feet, with four rooms downstairs and a second-floor courtroom. Sources describe it as one of only a very small number of surviving wooden Georgia courthouses from that era.
Originally located in downtown Cusseta, the courthouse served as a center of county life, where legal proceedings were held and local government business was carried out. After it was decommissioned and faced possible demolition, it was relocated to Westville in Lumpkin in the 1970s to save it. When Historic Westville later moved, the courthouse was relocated again to the museum’s present site in Columbus, Georgia.
Today, the courthouse is preserved as part of Historic Westville, a living history museum that interprets life in 19th-century west Georgia through historic buildings, demonstrations, and traditional crafts. Westville is now open Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and its official site says eight structures are currently open, with more buildings opening in 2026.
For Chattahoochee County, this courthouse remains an important piece of our story. Though it no longer stands in Cusseta, it is still one of the most significant surviving structures connected to the county’s early government and civic history. Its preservation at Westville helps ensure that future generations can continue to see and learn from this remarkable building.
Quick Facts
Name: Old Chattahoochee County Courthouse
Built: 1854
Original Location: Cusseta, Chattahoochee County, Georgia
Current Location: Historic Westville, 3557 South Lumpkin Road, Columbus, Georgia
Style: Carpenter style / antebellum wood-frame courthouse
National Register of Historic Places: Added September 18, 1980
Current Museum Hours: Friday–Saturday, 10 AM–4 PM