Historic Chapel Hill Courthouse
Anybody that drives on Chapel Hill Road these days will notice a small white building sitting atop a hill at the First Baptist Church of Chapel Hill. That white building is the Chapel Hill Courthouse, used last around the 1980s as a place for voting. Today the building sits unattended, more like a storage shed than a historical place.
The Douglas County Tourism and Historical Commission (DCTHC) have designated the landmark as historical property. At one time the little courthouse was almost demolished after its facilities were no longer needed. Let’s take a closer look at the Chapel Hill Courthouse.
Brief History
According to Fannie Mae Davis’ book, the courthouse is over 100 years old serving the Chapel Hill community. The structure may have been built around 1870, the same time when Douglas County was just evolving from parts of Campbell County, or in the 1920s according to the DCTHC. The search for a county seat was of great importance.
At the time Chapel Hill was a plantation community with its own churches, post office, and schools. Its competition was Skint Chestnut, today Douglasville, where there was already a railway to Atlanta. Other residents preferred the county seat be in the middle of the county near Pray’s Mill Church.
Voting commenced with the results granting Skint Chestnut the county seat. This was a disappointment to the Chapel Hill community, but the small courthouse would still serve as an importance into the future. Residents would vote in the courthouse all the way up to the opening of the Chapel Hill Middle School.
The Chapel Hill Courthouse is comprised of one large room which is then divided in the rear of the building where voting occurred. Serving as a district courthouse, residents would park their cars along Chapel Hill Road and walk up the wooden stairs to place their votes. Today this would be an unimaginable scene due to the overwhelming traffic.
About five years ago the courthouse was renovated as a community project. A new roof and other structural improvements were made to prevent the courthouse from caving in. Brand new white paint adorned the outside with a sign showing “Chapel Hill Court House”. The renovation project was in conjunction with the DCTHC, which also designated the courthouse as a historical property.
Supposedly the County owns the land where the courthouse stands, yet current property records indicate that Toro, LLC is in ownership – who also owns land on Bomar Road where the satellite dish facility is located.
Today’s Condition
From Chapel Hill Road the courthouse looks in fairly good shape, but walking up to the building tells a different story. There is no clear indication that anyone has maintained the property for some time. Bushes are overgrown, windows are broken, steps are in disrepair and some of the siding is falling off.
Paint is either fading away or peeling off in some areas, especially near window sills. Not even the Chapel Hill Court House sign can be seen from the road anymore due to overgrown bushes. A side window has been broke with shards of glass strewn all over the floor.
Inside the courthouse shows more neglect as it has now become a storage shed for computers, televisions, junk and other unmentionables. What was a place full of history is now a forgotten relic, aging in demise while overlooking the community it once served.
With the overwhelming amount of developments occupying the land, it seems even the County has forgot about their past. Sometimes moving far too forward can lead to an absence of truth. Here is a great example where SPLOST can be used to help a community rather than harm it.
Douglas County, are you listening? How much more can we afford to lose?
