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 The
earliest seat of government in Coweta County
was Bullsboro, two and a half miles east of
Newnan. In 1827-28 the Inferior Court of
Coweta County selected the present site of
Newnan to be the county seat. Identified as
Land Lot 25, Fifth Land District, and
containing 202 1/2 acres, this tract had
been drawn by Charles Connally in the Land
Lottery of 1827. The land was bought from
him for $100 and a deed was executed to the
county on March 20, 1828. County Surveyor
Charles Cleghorn laid out the site for the
court square and the streets.
Coweta County's first courthouse was built
in 1829 by Captain W.H. Hitchcock. It faced
east, was brick, two stories high, had a
portico on its west side fronted by four
white Doric columns and was surrounded by
chinaberry and locust trees. During the War
Between the States, it served as a hospital.
Sheds 12 by 100 feet were built around it in
the shade of the trees. The courthouse felt
the fury of Federal guns - its walls were
penetrated several times on July 30, 1864 by
shots of the 18th Indiana Artillery,
attached to the cavalry command of General
E.M. McCook.
After much public discussion, the County
Commissioners decided in 1903 to replace the
courthouse. The old structure was demolished
after the March term of the Superior Court
in 1904. The present building was completed
for $58,000 and formally opened on December
30, 1904.
In 1974 and in 1990, the Coweta County
Courthouse was refurbished under the
direction of the County Commissioners. The
interior offices were remodeled, facilities
were modernized, and the courtroom was
restored. The Coweta County Courthouse was
listed in the National Register of Historic
Places in 1980.
Incorporated cities at the present time are:
Newnan, Senoia, Sharpsburg, Turin, Moreland,
Grantville and Raymond.
Additional information on this and other
Coweta County attractions can be obtained
from the Coweta County Welcome Center, 100
Walt Sanders Memorial Drive, Newnan,
770-254-2627, 800-826-9382, www.coweta.ga.us
and the Male Academy Museum, 30 Temple
Avenue, 770-251-0207.
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