Built in 1905, the Roughton-Wilson Building originally comprised part of the Julida Hotel. The hotel sported an elegant ball-room and stood three stories tall, but since the population could not support such an elaborate hotel, Drs. Herman and Evans leased the building in 1910 and converted it into Sandersville’s third sanitarium. In 1913, the building was leased by Dr. William Rawlings, a leader in the medical field known for his use of new technologies. In 1901, he was the first regional physician to use X-rays as a diagnostic tool. He modified the building to allow for 125 rooms, as well as an operating theater. When he died in 1924, Dr. Rawlings left the building as a trust for the citizens of Washington County. Rawlings Sanitarium served as the county hospital until a new facility was built in 1961. In the late 1960’s, the western portion of the building was razed to provide space for a bank, which is now the site of City Hall. The building held a family-owned furniture business from 1953 until 2006. The old operating theater and several patient rooms still exist upstairs.
