TABLE OF CONTENTS

Historic Preservation

Bartow County is dedicated to preserving land and structures that hold a special importance to the county’s history, with Spring Bank, Beasley Gap and the Leake Mounds being the most recent acquisitions.

Other notable historic sites owned and/or operated by the Bartow County government include the 1903 Bartow County Courthouse, the Rose Lawn Museum and the Noble Hill-Wheeler Memorial Center.

The 1903 Courthouse was the second courthouse that served the offices and courts of Bartow County. The historic courthouse includes the domed clock tower, one of the most recognizable structures in Bartow County. The Frank Moore Administration and Judicial Center was built in 1991 and now is home to most county offices, but the 1903 Courthouse still houses some offices, such as the Etowah Valley Historical Society, district judicial administration office, Coroner’s Office, a district office for the Ga. 11^th Congressional District Representative and the Bartow County Environmental Coordination Office. Bartow County also acquired the historic First Baptist Church building on Cherokee Avenue for county government purposes.

The Rose Lawn Museum is a Victorian home built in the 1860’s that was once home to famed evangelist Sam Jones. The structure on Cherokee Avenue was named for the 200 rose bushes that once grew in the garden of the home. After the death of Sam Jones and his wife, the home was purchased by Emried Dargon Cole. Cole’s wife, Marie Gilreath, lived at Rose Lawn until her death in 1968. Rose Lawn became vacant, was vandalized and was in danger of being lost to future generations. In the 1970s, residents fought for Rose Lawn to be saved. It was placed on the National Registry of Historic Homes, and under Commissioner Olin Tatum it was purchased by the county in 1978. Rose Lawn is now home to the writings and memorabilia of Sam Jones and another notable Bartow Countian, Rebecca Latimer Felton, the first woman to serve in the United States Senate.

The Noble Hill-Wheeler Memorial Center in Cassville opened in 1924 as a school for local African-American children. The African-American community was instrumental in starting the school. At its peak, 100 students were educated there, but the school closed in 1955 after it was consolidated into the county schools. Dr. Susie Wheeler, a Noble Hill graduate, worked with other alumni to preserve the school in 1983 after it had been vacant for 25 years. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and is now a heritage museum.