Early Public Forum

Common during the settlement period, Morgan County first transacted public business at Fields Kennedy's private residence after the county's establishment in 1807. After Madison was designated the county seat in 1808 and before a formal courthouse was built, the Superior and Inferior courts met at the home of Abraham McAfee, sheriff and local militia captain. The Inferior court handled county improvements as well as Madison's initial survey and town layout. McAfee's home, built about 1806, is an I-house, typically two stories tall and one room deep with a central hall. Like many of Madison's early residences, it was expanded to the rear, gained multiple porches, and showed the influence of changing architectural styles over time. Because of its significance, the property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 and became the first individual historic property designated outside the Madison Historic District, which was listed in 1974 and 1990 and locally designated in 1989.

Madison, Georgia · United States