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Note: This is NOT the official web site of Barrow County
or of any county officials; it is an educational web site about the history
of the county courthouse and the county itself. For the address and
phone number of the courthouse and county officials, see the NaCO web
page for Barrow County, linked below:
Mailing Address and
Phone Number: See
NaCO web page for Barrow County
Location: Off Ga. 211, 2.2 miles northwest of downtown Winder,
Ga.
Street Address: 652 Barrow Park Dr., Winder GA 30680
GPS Coordinates of
Courthouse Main Entrance: 34.00181, -83.76057
Date Built: 2008-2009
Architectural Style:
Architect: Rosser International
Other Information: The new courthouse and criminal justice center opened in April 2009, with official dedication ceremonies held on June 14, 2009. The complex includes a three-story courthouse, plus a 320-bed jail and detention faciliy. Housed in the courthouse are Barrow County's superior court, probate court, magistrate court, judges' chambers, district attorney, public defender, and adminstrative offices of the sheriff. The facility was funded by a special-purpose local option sales tax authorized by county voters in a June 2005 referendum. That referendum also authorized renovation of the original courthouse located in downtown Winder (see photo).
Administrative
offices of county government are housed in the Barrow County
Administration Building, which opened in 1990 (click here for photo).
County History: On July 7, 1914, a joint resolution of
the General Assembly was approved proposing a constitutional
amendment to create Barrow County from portions of Gwinnett,
Jackson, and Walton counties (Ga. Laws 1914, p. 27). On Nov.
3, 1914, Georgia voters approved the constitutional amendment,
making Barrow Georgia's 149th county. Reportedly, the new county
was created because although downtown Winder was located in Walton
County, its city boundaries extended into Gwinnett and Jackson
counties, meaning Winder residents were divided among three different
counties. As a result, local citizens petitioned the General
Assembly to create a new county with Winder as county seat in
the center. The new county was named after David C. Barrow, who
was then chancellor of the University of Georgia.
Why was Barrow County created by constitutional amendment
instead of an act of the General Assembly? In 1904, Georgia voters
had approved a constitutional amendment limiting the number of
counties in the state to 145. The next year, the General Assembly
created eight new counties, bringing the total number to 145
-- the constitutional limit. Nevertheless, there was continuing
pressure to create more counties. Beginning in 1906, lawmakers
got around the 145-county limitation by creating new counties
through constitutional amendments that were not subject to the
limitation. By 1924, Georgia had 161 counties -- 16 of which
had been created by constitutional amendment. On Jan. 1, 1932,
Milton and Campbell counties merged with Fulton, leaving 159
counties. In 1945, Georgia voters ratified a new constitution
-- one which provided an absolute limit of 159 counties, with
an additional provision (see
text) that no new country could be created except through
consolidation of existing counties.
County Seat: The proposed constitutional amendment creating
Barrow County provided that Winder serve as county seat. Winder
was first settled at an unknown date in what was then Walton
County. Originally, it was known as Jug Tavern and was incorporated
under that name by the General Assembly on Dec. 24, 1884 (Ga.
Laws 1884-85, p. 339). It was reincorporated as Winder by an
act of Dec. 20, 1893 (Ga. Laws 1893, p. 223). The new name was
chosen to honor Seaboard Air Line Railroad president John H.
Winder for building his railroad through Jug Tavern in 1893.
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 162.8 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 152th out of 159
Population:
Barrow County
City of Winder
Go to Georgia County Courthouses Contents page
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