The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
Now that the majority of offices and personnel have relocated to the new Lowndes County Judicial Complex, the former courthouse is sitting empty and ready for its next incarnation.
Will it be a tourist attraction? Will it house some of the local boards and authorities? Will it be a backdrop for a new, riveting television drama or blockbuster movie? Or will the community allow it to decay from misuse and neglect?
The Lowndes County Courthouse was built in 1905 and has served as the cornerstone of this community for more than 100 years. Countless marriages, and divorces. Countless court cases, some large, some small. Countless wills probated. Countless real estate sales on the front steps.
Every single individual in this community has some sort of tie to the courthouse. Its history should be preserved and its future should have already been determined. Sadly, that is not the case.
The Times is certainly not the only entity in the community that would like to know what Lowndes County has planned for the stately historic treasure in our midst, and its leadership is committed to helping in any way, large or small, to ensure that the Courthouse has a new life.
It may no longer be needed for the mission for which it was built, but surely there are other ways to utilize such a grand and impressive structure for the community’s benefit.
If you are interested in preserving the Courthouse, be sure to contact your elected county officials and make your wishes known. And if you have any ideas as to how the community can best preserve the building, please send them in to the Rant and Rave line or write a letter to the editor.
Let the county know that this building belongs to all of us and we want to see it protected and used for many years to come.
