Richmond County is named for the third Duke of Richmond, who was the British Secretary of State and sympathetic to the cause of the American colonies.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – McDuffie County and Columbia County
E – Edgefield County, South Carolina and Aiken County, South Carolina
S – Burke County
W – Jefferson County
Created: January 23, 1780 
County Seat:
Augusta 1780 – present
Old County Courthouse – Augusta
Location: 530 Greene Street / Monument Street
Built: 1956 – 1957
Style: Modern
Architect: Scroggs & Ewing of Augusta and Kuhlke & Wade
Contractor: Beer Construction Company of Atlanta
Description: The building faces north and is a nine story stone, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Augusta and has protruding three story wings on the east and west sides. The building is faced with a gray colored polished stone and vertical dividers run between the windows. The roof line is flat. The building houses the City of Augusta offices. An addition is being constructed in 2014 on the south side. The architect was Virgo Gambill Architects and the contractor was Turner Corporation and Heery International Inc.
County Courthouse – Augusta
Location: 735 James Brown Boulevard / Walton Way
Built: 2009 – 2011
Style: Modern
Architect: Turner Associates/Architects & Planners, Inc.
Contractor: Potts Construction of Conyers
Description: The building faces east and is a four story red colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the south of the center of Augusta. The building has a extended south wing with projecting glass windows on the second and third stories, In the center of the east front is a large portico with four columns rising two stories to a header and with three vertical glass sections. On the north side is a large circular section with vertical windows. On the center of the roof is a large square tower with vertical openings at the top. The roof line is flat. The building is named as the John H Ruffin Courthouse. The construction manager was Heery International Inc.
Old Government House – Augusta
Location: 423 Telfair Street / Courthouse Lane
Built: 1801
Style: Greek Revival / Victorian
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and two story brick and wood structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Augusta. The building was later stuccoed, with parapet end chimneys. Wings are recessed from the front facade and project in four-sided sections in the rear. Delicate iron filigree work on the front facade forms a first story portico and supports an iron railing balcony at the second story. Iron work also forms horizontal panels in front of small recessed rectangles of the attic. Across the rear facade, the projecting wings are connected by a colonnade of square Doric columns at each story level. The building served as the courthouse from 1801 to 1821.
See: Old Government House is the oldest courthouse ( 1801 ) still standing in Georgia. The second oldest courthouse ( 1825 ) is located in Fayette County. The third oldest courthouse ( 1832 ) is located in Crawford County. The fourth oldest courthouse ( 1836 ) is located in Lumpkin County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Old Government House
History: The county was created in 1780 and Augusta was designated as the county seat. The first courthouse was a house on Bay Street purchased in 1784. The building was also used for the Georgia state capitol. The second courthouse was constructed in 1801 on Telfair Street in 1801 as the City Hall and courthouse known as “Government House” and is still standing. The third courthouse was designed by John Land and built in 1820 on Greene Street. Wings were added to the courthouse in 1870, and the entire structure remodeled in 1892. The architect was L F Goodrich. The fourth courthouse was constructed in 1956 to 1957 as the Municipal Building. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 2009 to 2011.
Old County Courthouse – Augusta
County Courthouse – Augusta
Old Government House – Augusta
Photos taken 2008 and 2014