Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Washington (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Robert Toombs House, Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum, and Washington Presbyterian Church. Also, be sure to include Wilkes County Courthouse in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Washington (Georgia).
Table of Contents
Robert Toombs House
Museum in Washington, Georgia. The Robert Toombs House State Historic Site is a historic property located at 216 East Robert Toombs Avenue in Washington, Georgia. It was the home of Robert Toombs, a U.S. representative and U.S. senator from Georgia who originally opposed Southern secession but later became a Confederate Cabinet official and then a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Operated as a state historic site, the 19th-century period historic house museum features exhibits about the life of Toombs. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.[1]
Address: 216 E Robert Toombs Ave, 30673-2037 Washington
Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum
Museum in Washington, Georgia. Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum, also known as the Washington Historical Museum, is a historical building in Washington, Georgia. The home was built ca. 1835 by Albert Gallatin Semmes on land owned by American Revolutionary War hero Micajah Williamson. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 1970. It is located at 308 East Robert Toombs Avenue.[2]
Washington Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian church in Washington, Georgia. Washington Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church at 206 E. Robert Toombs Avenue in Washington, Georgia. The church was founded in 1790, with the building constructed in 1825. It was added to the National Register in 1972.
According to a Georgia state historical marker at the site the church was organized in 1790 as part of the Presbytery of South Carolina. The Rev. John Springer was the first pastor. The South Carolina and Georgia Synod met in Washington in 1821 and organized the Georgia Presbytery. In 1826 the Synod met in the new church building. Pastors have included the Revends Alexander H. Webster, the S. J. Cassels, Francis R. Goulding, John Brown, H. W. Petrie, Nathan Hoyt, J. K. S. Axson]], and Thomas Dunwoody. Church members have included Alexander H. Stephens and Duncan G. Campbell.[3]
Wilkes County Courthouse
Building in Washington, Georgia. The Wilkes County Courthouse is a historic government building and clock tower located in the city of Washington, Georgia, the seat of Wilkes County. The latest in a series of courthouses in the county's history, the current building was completed in 1904 and since that date has been the official home of Wilkes County's Superior Court, and the base of the county's government. On September 18, 1980, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[4]
Address: 22 West Sq # B, 30673-1520 Washington
Mary Willis Library
Public library in Washington, Georgia. The Mary Willis Library is a historic public library located in the city of Washington, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The library, located at 204 East Liberty Street in downtown Washington, is the designated public library for Wilkes County and headquarters of the Bartram Trail Regional Library System. Built in 1889 in red brick and featuring Tiffany glass, the Mary Willis Library was listed with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1972.[5]
Address: 204 E Liberty St, Washington
Kettle Creek Battlefield
Kettle Creek Battlefield is a 256-acre historic site outside Washington, Georgia in Wilkes County, Georgia, at the location of the Battle of Kettle Creek, in 1779, in the American Revolutionary War. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1975. In January 2021 the Kettle Creek Battlefield became affiliated with the National Park Service. It is located nine miles southwest of Washington off Courtground Road.
The NRHP-listed area encircles "War Hill", a 500 feet (150 m) high hill, which has the Kettle Creek Monument erected upon it, by the War Department in 1930. There are also historical markers placed by the Georgia Historical Commission. In 1900 the Daughters of the American Revolution purchased 12 acres. The Kettle Creek Battlefield Association acquired 60 acres in 2013. In 2018 the American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 180 acres of the Kettle Creek Battlefield through mid-2018.[6]
Address: Off Hwy 44, Washington
Tupper-Barnett House
The Tupper-Barnett House is a historic house located at 101 US 78B in Washington, Georgia. Built as a high-end Federal style residence, it was augmented about 1860 with one of the nation's finest examples of a full peristyle Greek Revival colonnade. It was declared a National Historic Landmark on November 7, 1973.[7]
Holly Court
Building. Holly Court, also known as the Ficklen-Lyndon-Johnson House, and now operated as Holly Court Inn Bed & Breakfast, is a historic Neoclassical architecture residence converted into a bed & breakfast in Washington, Georgia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
It was the "last refuge" of Varina Davis, wife of Confederate States of America president Jefferson Davis, before his capture, at the end of the American Civil War.
It is a two-story white clapboard building created in about 1840 when two plain-style Federal period houses were joined and a monumental entrance portico was added. The portico has two pairs of square Tuscan columns, and is pedimented.[8]
Campbell-Jordan House
Historical landmark in Washington, Georgia. Campbell-Jordan House, also known as the Campbell-Jordan-Lindsey-Farnell House, is a historic residence in Washington, Georgia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 1971. It is located at 208 Liberty Street.
The Federal architecture-style home was built in 1787 and underwent a Greek Revival architecture-style makeover in 1841, including the addition of large columns. The original cottage was built by William Stith after 1787 and was bought in 1807 by Duncan Campbell who enlarged it. The western part of the structure was likely built by Judge Albert Gallatin Semmes. In 1841, Aaron A. Cleveland added the colonnade. The home was the residence of U.S. Supreme Court Justice and C.S.A. Assistant Secretary of War, John Archibald Campbell.[9]
The Cedars
The Cedars is a historic residence in Washington, Georgia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1972. It is located at 201 Sims Street.
The original house on the site was built in c.1793; its kitchen survives in the existing house. The house includes Stick/Eastlake architecture.[10]
Old Jail
The Old Jail, also known as the Old Wilkes County Jail, located at 15 Court Street in Washington, Georgia was built in 1891. It was built by the McDonald Brothers Company of Louisville. The Old Jail has been on the list of National Register of Historic Places since June 5, 1974. It is a contributing member to the Washington Commercial Historic District, which was included on the National Register of Historic places on March 6, 1986.[11]