{"nrhp_refnum":"07000375","name":"Boston Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by US 84, Roundtree and S. Oak Sts, Washington St. and W. Jefferson and W. Railroad Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Thomas County","state":"GA","lat":30.791699697500036,"lon":-83.79242424831617,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-05-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Community Planning and Development","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district in Boston, a small railroad town in rural Thomas County, southwest Georgia, containing 199 contributing resources: commercial, residential, industrial, rail-related and community buildings, plus a cemetery, from the 1870s to the mid-20th century.","why_significant":"The district documents the development of a railroad town that relocated to its present site when the Atlantic & Gulf Railroad was laid in 1860. It preserves a downtown commercial core, white and African-American neighborhoods, churches, civic buildings and rail-related resources. It also contains a wide range of Georgia house types and architectural styles.","narrative":"Boston is a small railroad community about 12 miles east of Thomasville in Thomas County, Georgia. The town moved from its original site southeast of Thomasville when the Atlantic & Gulf Railroad tracks were laid in 1860, and it was incorporated in 1870. The historic district covers the downtown, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the rail corridor. Downtown has one- and two-story brick stores in Commercial and Classical Revival styles, mostly dating from the 1870s to the 1950s, along with the former Farmers and Merchants Bank, now City Hall. Houses range from late 19th-century Queen Anne and Folk Victorian examples to Craftsman bungalows and mid-century ranch houses, with shotgun houses in the historically African-American area north of the tracks. Community landmarks include a 1913-1914 Carnegie Library, several churches, a Masonic lodge and a c. 1861 city cemetery. Near the tracks stand a 1902 depot, warehouses, a water tank and an electric plant. The district records the growth of a rail-based small town.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century Greek Revival; Late Victorian/Queen Anne; Folk Victorian; Neoclassical Revival; Mediterranean Revival; Commercial Style; Craftsman; Bungalow; Ranch; various vernacular house types","criteria":[],"status_note":"Many resources remain in use, including city hall, a library, churches, a cemetery, residences and rail-related functions. The depot's rear freight room no longer exists, and the Masonic Lodge building is now a residence.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:43.485208-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/07000375.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000375/84e813f062-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000375/84e813f062-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.5","author":"Ebyabe","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_GA_hist_dist_library01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ebyabe</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_GA_hist_dist_library01.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93209613","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30621913"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/thomas-county/boston-historic-district-07000375/"}