One of the most intriguing parts of the historic places we choose to explore is the fact that they all have specific legends or “hauntings” in mind.  In this case, we explore a location that seems to have no rhyme or reason as to why it’s been labeled as such.  Or does it?  We will discuss that soon, but first we must look at the history of the Old Crawford County Courthouse, Also known as the Knoxville Courthouse.

This location is the definition of historic when it comes to age.  In fact, at the time it was replaced and no longer in service (2001), it was actually the longest serving courthouse in the State of Georgia.  This legal building would have seen thousands of cases and possibly even executions in its earlier days.  You have to remember, the justice system is a lot different now versus hundreds of years ago and most older courts held their own executions outside in the courtyard.

What about its beginnings?  Standing in the county seat of Crawford County (Knoxville) this building was built (completed) in 1832 and opened the same year.  Contrary to what some locals may think, it is not the original courthouse.  The original actually burned down sometime in the late 1820s or early 1830s while the current building was its replacement.  This beautiful work of art and all of its valuable history was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s.  It’s been restored several times and is currently matching what the building would have looked like in the 1890s.

Although it no longer serves as a Court, it does have its purpose as a museum and is home to the Crawford County Historical Society.  Those kinds of places are our absolute favorites and hold a special place in our hearts.  We hope to visit it one day.

One if our favorite authors, the late and great Jim Miles, wrote an interesting story about this building and the old jail nearby.  Accordingly to “Haunted Central Georgia,” there have been actual “paranormal” teams that have “investigated” this location.  They have reported everything from electronic voice phenomena, being physically attacked, all the way to breaking out into adrenaline rushes for no reason.  All of that, of course, is legend.  Crawford County itself is a complete treasure trove of historically significant people and events.  Including the presumed resting place of Col. Benjamin Hawkins himself.  There are multiple areas you can learn about just in this county.  We will leave the historical society’s link at the end of this post.

It’s interesting that Jim took the time to write about its supposed “haunted” happenings, because we know he did his research.  There are dedicated people who are willing to keep this gorgeous structure preserved, he most certainly (probably) reached out to them as well years ago.  Jim would agree that the history is far more important than its “haunted claims,” but nonetheless, it’s intriguing.  As always, read the books and online articles, you be the judge!

It’s important to note that we have not reached out to the Crawford County Historical Society to verify any of these claims.  All claims about this site have come from multiple internet sources (like Wikipedia and their own website) and the book mentioned above.  We do absolutely plan on reaching out to them once we finish a few projects and hopefully will be able to work with them to learn more of the county’s history and maybe even help promote preservation awareness for them.  We will follow up once we do.

Hey!  We hope you enjoyed this case.   Museums and historical societies are precious to us so we encourage you to visit their website to see how you can donate and learn more about Crawford and its history.  Here’s the link:

https://www.crawfordcountyhistoricalsociety.org/Index.html

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