The Stephens County Clerk, located in Toccoa, Georgia, is the official keeper of public records for Stephens County.

It is possible that Scarbrough’s influence may have played a role in the selection of an Abilene architect. Although continued oil production and sheep ranching helped stabilize the economy, the decades following the Great Depression continued to see a gradual decline in the county’s population, with figures falling from a high of 16,560 in 1930 to 12,356 in 1940 and 10,597 in 1950. In 1872, E.L. Walker, the first county judge, was allowed the sum of $26.86 to buy lumber for a 22 x 40 foot pine building with desks lined around the walls for county officials. The courthouse occupies the public square central to the town’s gridiron street system. 2020 Official General Election Candidates YOUR VOTE COUNTS! County Seat: Breckenridge

Over the 70 year history of the courthouse, certain incidents and trials stand out in the minds of local citizens. Hallways feature terrazzo floors and marble wainscots highlighted by oak doors and trim, plus a number of bronze commemorative plaques in the south entry hall. Originally named Buchanan County after President James Buchanan, the county was renamed in 1861 after Alexander J. Stephens, vice president of the Confederate States of America, and the small town of Picketville became the temporary county seat. As of 2017, the population of Stevens County was 5,612. Description:  The building faces south and is a four story cream colored limestone and concrete structure. Its slightly raised basement, accessed by descending steps in the north stairway chase, as well as by an elevator immediately east of the chase, is divided into four areas: boiler room, supply room, county clerk records storage (with private stairs from the clerk’s office above), and large vault. Complete results will be posted as the precincts return their ballot boxes to the courthouse and the votes are tallied. The building’s south facade is divided into three major bays, extending forward on the east and west, signifying the courtrooms inside these bays.

Former County Judge Miller Tuttle remembers a trial where a preacher was charged with driving while intoxicated and during the testimony, spectators jammed every available space in the district court room, some bringing lunches so not to lose their seat. Stephens County is named for Alexander Hamilton Stephens, who was the only vice-president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. Alterations to the exterior of the courthouse are extremely minor, consisting of the aluminum main entry door and windows and a handicap ramp added in 1985 to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifications. Breckenridge and its commercial heart developed modestly through the early 20th century, and early businesses filled storefront lots around the courthouse square. When the wife died, Pearl took the elderly man to Oklahoma and married him. Locate Stephens real estate and other county court records held by the County Clerk including birth certificates, death … In January 1925, the measure passed, this time approving $250,000 in bonds by a vote of 943 for and 915 against. A lengthy disabled-access ramp of concrete has been poured over part of the east entry stairs. The block’s southwest corner is devoted to a grouping of commemorative markers, and its southeast corner features the 1883 courthouse entry portal and other historical markers. Toccoa was designated the county seat in the legislation creating Stephens County. The west elevation continues the horizontal extension of classical temple details, but its central bay of entry base and four full columns is extended out as a porch for the former courtroom inside. With 1920 construction of the substantial First National Bank building (now a museum) one block east near Walker and Breckenridge streets, then 1928 completion of the ten-story Burch Hotel (now a bank) at a corner of that intersection, the courthouse square evolved to a park-like presence respectfully adjacent to downtown. The design and plan of the Stephens County Courthouse represents popular trends in courthouse architecture during the time of its construction. The east and west sides have projecting four columns sections. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]. By 1880 the county population reached 4,725 and the arrival that year of the Texas and Pacific Railway across the southern tip of the county between Strawn and Ranger further spurred growth. With discovery of oil in 1916 under and around the town, followed by intensive local drilling after 1918 and arrival of two railroads in 1920, the business district experienced much new construction. The final cost of the new courthouse added up to $410,149.40, $26,873 more than the agreed sum. This incredible growth led to the obvious need for a larger courthouse. Created: January 22, 1858 County Seat: Breckenridge 1858 – present . Building Materials/Description: Log cabin. Over the next few years, Breckenridge quietly served as the government and trading center of the county. Anglo settlement began in the area now known as Stephens County during the late 1850’s when John R. Baylor built a cabin on the Clear Fork in 1857, in an area primarily occupied by Comanches and Tonkawas. This Italianate-style building was designed by Dallas architect James Edward Flanders and constructed of local red sandstone by Rosenquest. Soon after, the drilling of more productive wells led to a terrific economic boom centered around Breckenridge in 1921. Quarry-faced stones, of reduced dimensions above the first floor, completed each elevation’s richly textured surfaces. This smaller, two-story brick building shows Classical influences such as columns flanking the main entryway. An article in the March 24, 1924, issue of the Breckenridge Daily American states that the “present structure erected in 1883 is unsafe for records” and that “many citizens feel that (the courthouse) has filled well its purpose and the business of the county has outgrown its size and structure.” In June of that year, voters approved $500,000 in bonds to build a new courthouse and jail by a vote of 521 for and 119 against. The building also served as a church, post office, dance hall, and as a meeting place for the community. Columns rise from the second story to the top of the third story with windows between. Floor plans could not be located during research for this nomination. The east elevation exactly repeats the west side porch bay extension and details. U.S. National Register of Historic Places, History of the National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, property in Georgia on the National Register of Historic Places, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stephens_County_Courthouse_(Georgia)&oldid=922993249, Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state), Former county courthouses in Georgia (U.S. state), Buildings and structures in Stephens County, Georgia, National Register of Historic Places in Stephens County, Georgia, Georgia (U.S. state) Registered Historic Place stubs, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 October 2019, at 16:48.

Cross-axis hallways on the first floor are accessed and lit with sunlight through a grouping of three entry-door pairs on the south, double-door entries on the west and east ends, and two entry-door pairs into the stair chase on the north. The central bay carries a massive two- story row of 10 engaged Corinthian columns, whose capitals feature lone stars and eagles.