Monroe County is named for James Monroe, who was the fifth President of the United States from 1817 to 1825.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Butts County
E – Jasper County and Jones County
S – Bibb County and Crawford County
W – Upson County and Lamar County
Created: May 15, 1821 
County Seat:
Forsyth 1821 – present
County Courthouse – Forsyth
Location: 38 West Main Street / Lee Street
Built: 1895 – 1896
Style: High Victorian Eclectic
Architect: Alexander C Bruce & Thomas H Morgan of Atlanta
Contractor: Knoxville Building & Construction Company
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located in the center of Forsyth. The east front has a one story portico at the first story entrance with four columns rising to a balcony on the second story. On either side of the portico rise projecting sections with large arched windows on the send story and with pediments above the roof line. Behind the portico is a high square red colored brick clock tower rising to an upper section with turrets on the corners and cupola at the top. The foundation is rough stone. The roof is hipped. In the interior there is a cross plan on the first story. The County Superior Court courtroom on the second story has a colored pressed metal ceiling. The building houses the County Superior Court, County Juvenile Court and County Probate Court of the 6th Judicial District. In 1978 alterations were completed. The architect was Brittain/Thompson Associates of Macon and the contractor was Ethridge Brothers Construction Company of Gray. In 1990, the clock tower was restored. The contractor was LNC-Specialty Restoration Inc. of Dublin, Ohio. The building was restored from 2007 to 2010 by the Monroe County Maintenance Department.
Note: The pressed metal ceiling in the courtroom is the only colored metal ceiling in a Georgia courthouse.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Monroe County Courthouse
History: The county was created in 1821 and Forsyth was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in Forsyth in 1825 and was torn down in 1895. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1895 to 1896 at a cost of $24,000.
County Courthouse – Forsyth
County Superior Court courtroom
Photos taken 2013 and 2023