Did the Georgia Wilkinson County Courthouse Have a Curse on it?
The bane of genealogists and historians is courthouse burnings, especially those in the South. I wanted to stop by the little town of Irwinton to follow up with some possible genealogical research at the local library and historical society. I already knew about the Wilkinson County courthouse fire in 1924, but I had not realized just how many there had been. How could this county be so unlucky! But there might be a chance that there were some remnants of my McCullar and Pace families who had settled here before 1810. It never hurts to check! From my history lessons back in high school and some of our families, we had all heard about "Sherman's March to the Sea" during the Civil War, which was intended to teach the rebels who they were up against and to destroy their local provisional governments. Burning courthouses tends to occur during wars. It happened during the War of 1812 and during the Revolutionary War. And there are other types of courthouse fires caused by carelessness, extremely dry weather, electrical issues, and arson, and they still happen today.
The Wilkinson County Courthouse, located in Irwinton, Georgia, is one of the few that have had way too many fires. Four times, the county courthouse burned down! Three accidental fires and one intentional burning. Yes, General William T. Sherman's troops, specifically the 17th Corps under Major Francis P. Blair, Jr., a Missourian born in Kentucky, went through Irwinton and stayed there from November 24 - 25, 1864.[1] And, to phrase a popular song, "Another one bit the dust!"
I might not understand why, but I do understand that this was during the war, and emotions were high. It wasn't Sherman's fire that erased my family's records — the two earlier fires had already done that damage, predating the time my McCullar and Pace families lived there. They had located further south and then west after 1840.
Is there a curse on the courthouse? Well, my Louisiana relatives might not say that word, but might say "malison" or "voodoo". My New England friends might say "hex." However, after the courthouse fire in 1924, we might all agree there was one, but after 100 years, it has probably been lifted (and thanks to better fire suppression procedures)! The citizens of Wilkinson County, Georgia, can be proud of their current courthouse, with its additional annexes and renovations, which are safe and sound — until the next fire!
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Preston_Blair_Jr.#:~:text=Blair was appointed a colonel,Company C%2C 10th Missouri Cavalry.&text=Blair subsequently commanded a division,that had served with Sherman : accessed 24 March 2026), "Francis Preston Blair, Jr.," revised - 20:32 (UTC), 23 March 2026. ↩︎
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