Towns County Jail

Towns County Jail
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Show map of Georgia Show map of the United States
Location	Courthouse Square, Hiawassee, Georgia
Coordinates	34°56′47″N 83°45′27″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1935-36; 1981
Built by	Federal Emergency Relief Administration; Ordinary J. F. Johnson
Architectural style	Bungalow/craftsman
MPS	County Jails of the Georgia Mountains Area TR
NRHP reference No.	85002087[1]
Added to NRHP	September 13, 1985

The Towns County Jail, also known as Old Towns County Jail, in Hiawassee, Georgia was built in 1935-36 by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and modified in 1981. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.^[1] As of 1985, the building served as Hiawassee City Hall.^[2]

It is a two-story rock building with a hipped roof.^[2]

The Towns County Herald noted in 1936 that the completed jail was a "'modern, safe, sanitary, and commendable structure'" and praised Ordinary J. F. Johnson for his work building the jail, which cost $4,353 in total. It served as Towns County's jail until the 1970s, when a joint jail shared with Union County was built.^[2]

It was one of seven county jails reviewed for National Register listing in 1985.^[3]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Dale Jaeger (1984). "Thematic Jail Nomination - GMAPDC Region: Old Towns County Jail / Towns County Jail". National Park Service. Retrieved January 8, 2016. with six photos from 1984
3. Dale Jaeger and Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. (1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: County Jails of the Georgia Mountains Area Planning and Development Commission TR". National Park Service. Retrieved January 8, 2016.