Warthen, Georgia, located in Washington County, is a town that is rich with history and pleasantly rural. Warthen was named after a store built where local roads met regional roads in the area. In the early 1900’s, as transportation and agriculture boomed, the town had a period of heavy development. Hotels and businesses such as a cotton gin, banks, and a passenger depot were constructed. When the boll weevil was invented the economic stimulation of the region slowed and the railroad was discontinued. SR15 was paved which passes conveniently through the town.
In 1997, Warthen was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Warthen-Burgamy house is one example of log structures that are still present in the area. The Warthen-Turner house and Hooks Cabin are others. Hooks Cabin was built by Hopewell Hooks just a few miles east of Hooks Dairy Farm which is one of the largest in the country. Placed between the business and residential areas is one of the most popular log structures, the Old Warthen Jail which is Georgia’s oldest log jail. It was restored in 1998 and is said to have held the early politician Aaron Burr overnight on his way to trial for treason. Aaron Burr’s military escort stayed at the Warthen-Turner house.
North of SR15 is the educational and religious section of the town. The Bethlehem Baptist Church, and the Warthen Community Center, and the Warthen United Methodist Church are located here. The Warthen Community Center building and The Bethlehem Baptist Church have both been rebuilt, one due to a windstorm and the other a fire. Also in this area of town is a residential area with a neighborhood containing early 20 century houses as well as some two story houses. Some of these homes once had carbide gas illumination which was produced in the yards and piped to the residences. Some of these residences included the May-Turner Hotel, the Duggan-Bateman House, and the Redding-Garner house which was the home of one of the three doctors originally in the area.