Union
County Court House, then and now
On the National List of Historic Places
MISSION
AND HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY
Mission
The
Union County Historical Society was established February
11, 1976 as a non-profit organization open to all persons
interested in the history and heritage of Union County,
Georgia. The goals for the organization were and are:
1. Restore the
old Union County Court House;
2. Establish a museum of county history;
3. Publish a history of the county;
4. Promote interest in local history in the schools;
5. Hold meetings of interest.
Union
County Historical Society
and
the Old Union County Court House
Large Cities and
small communities all over the United States were busy
organizing Bicentennial Committees in 1975 and planning big
celebrations for 1976. Union County was among them and
formed a Bicentennial Committee and Historical Society. At
the end of May 1976, this group incorporated under the name
Union County Historical Society, Inc. as a non-profit
corporation for the following purposes.
(A) to promote the preservation of sources of
information concerning the history of Union County,
Georgia, the investigation, study, collection, display,
publication and dissemination of such history and to arouse
in the citizens and friends of Union County an
interest in it’s history.
(B) To preserve and improve buildings and locations
of historical significance.
(C) To accomplish the purpose of the society by the
purchase or lease of historically significant buildings or
locations and the operation of business activities.
The original directors were Ben F. Carr. Herbert Dyer, Mary
Smith, Edith Paris, Ronald Davenport, Jan Devereaux, Bryan
Webb, C.R. Collins and Harold Nichols. Mr. C. R. Collins
served as the first President of the Union County
Historical Society.
It soon became evident that one of the first tasks for the
society would be to mount a mammoth effort to save the old
courthouse from destruction. Through the years building
maintenance had been neglected. The roof had leak problems
as early as the 1920s and by 1971 an inspector from the
Georgia Fire Marshal’s office condemned the building. There
was a strong move underway to tear the old building down to
make room for a parking lot.
As a Bicentennial project the Jaycees undertook the
restoration of the old tower clock and bell. The idea came
about when the Jaycees became aware that the old clock
works and bell were to be auctioned off by the county. They
intervened, restored the works, mounted the mechanism on
timbers and entered it in the Bicentennial Parade, after
which it was displayed in the lobby of the old courthouse.
(today…it is displayed on the grounds of the old courthouse
in it’s own unique display house made possible by the
dedication of same to the memory of Virge Kelly by Jim
Williams and Robert Head Jr.)
By June 1980 the society had raised funds to begin basic
stabilization. Senior citizen workers were made available
to the society through a federal program and these men
stripped the old paint from the wainscoting, trim, etc. and
cleaned up debris. By mid 1981 the roof was repaired and
new wood windows were installed. In October 1985 a
rededication of the old building was held. In the months
following, rooms were restored for use as rental offices
and by 1987 the entire downstairs area had been renovated
along with the stairwell on the south side and the old
grand jury room upstairs, leaving only the courtroom and
adjacent chambers unrestored.
The large room on the south side of the building was
restored by the Paris Family as a museum room in honor of
Paul and Edith Paris. Edith had been a tireless worker for
the old building and her death followed the rededication by
just one month. (The first museum room was opened in this
restored section in the fall of 1988)
The First National Bank of Union County restored the Parson
Room in memory of Linda Parson and held a dedication
ceremony in spring of 1987. About the same time
negotiations were underway with Austine Carr who restored
and furnished the Grand Jury room and south stairwell in
honor of her husband Ben, and in memory of her parents, Pat
and Maud Haralson.
The old clerks office was restored by William and Sarah
Flake to be used as an office for the Historical Society.
The two rooms on the east hallway were restored by Betty
Jane Shuler in honor of her parents. Her father Frank
Shuler was Superintendent of schools in Union County for
many years and her mother Gertrude Shuler was a Union
County school teacher for 25 years. The room at the
west end of the main hall was restored by the society and
the old Ordinary’s Office was restored by the society with
the help of friends.
All of the rooms except the Paris room were rented for a
time as offices for private businesses. Rentals were
discontinued one by one as the museum grew and space was
needed for exhibits. In 1991 when the Morgan Miniature
Collection was received, the last rental was discontinued
and all restored rooms were devoted to the museum.
The courtroom and adjacent chambers remained in the long
range plans. The clock Tower would need to be reconstructed
and it would eventually be necessary to add an elevator for
handicapped access.
Between 1976 and 1990 the Historical Society published four
books relating to the history of the county. The first
projects undertaken were Sketches of
Union County History vols I and II and have been
out of print for several years. In 1987 Sketches vol
III was published in
hard cover and was very popular. In 1990
Cemetery
Records of Union County, Georgia was published.
Dale Elliott and Charles Wimpy with the help of their wives
inventoried all the cemeteries of the county, even doing
research to identify some of the unmarked graves. This work
has been of great value to geologists and of interest to
other readers.
The Society is deeply indepted to the many volunteers who
have supported the work of the society and to the many
people who have contributed items for the museum. All
museum exhibits are of Union County or North Georgia origin
and it is one of the finest county museums to be found.
The restoration of the courtroom was completed and
dedicated in 1997. It has broadened the scope of the
society as it provides Friday night concerts, Tuesday night
lectures, Drama plays by the Union County High School and
the continued use as a courtroom by the city of
Blairsville.
The restoration of the clock and bell tower (finished and
dedicated in 2002) completed the original look of the
building. Now considerations for the annexed Butt-Mock
house and grounds will be undertaken to enlarge exhibit
space and facilities.
Union County Historical Society of Georgia, Copyright 2006