{"nrhp_refnum":"70000841","name":"Old Rock House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NW of Thomson on Old Rock House Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Thomson","county":"McDuffie County","state":"GA","lat":33.48222736900004,"lon":-82.55782168199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-12-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story fieldstone house with a gabled roof, built about 1784 by Thomas Ansley about three miles northwest of Thomson, McDuffie County, Georgia, within the former Quaker township of Wrightsborough.","why_significant":"It is the only surviving structure tied to the late 18th-century Quaker community of Wrightsborough, apart from the cemetery. It is also described as possibly the only known stone residence from a period when Georgia houses were mostly brick or wood. Its fortress-like construction recalls New England garrison houses.","narrative":"Built around 1784 by Thomas Ansley, this fieldstone house stands about three miles northwest of Thomson in McDuffie County, Georgia. Its twenty-four-inch-thick walls, scored cement finish, gable-end chimneys and two full stories over a basement give it a rough, fortress-like look that recalls New England garrison houses. The main floor holds five rooms and several fireplaces, including a small corner room locally called the birthing room. Ansley, a Quaker born in New Jersey, came to Georgia in 1768 with a group of Quaker families and later received land grants near the settlement of Wrightsborough. The house is the only surviving building associated with that community, apart from its cemetery, and is possibly the only known stone residence from its period in Georgia. Occupied until 1950, it was damaged by vandals before a preservation foundation acquired it and began stabilizing and restoring it as a record of Georgia's Quaker frontier heritage.","period_of_significance":"18th Century, 20th Century; c. 1784 and recent restoration","architect_builder":"Thomas Ansley (1737-1809)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied until 1950, then vandalized and abandoned; condition listed as deteriorated. A Quaker foundation acquired it, fenced the property, shuttered the windows, repaired the stonework and began restoration.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.95101-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/70000841.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000841/cc79240604-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000841/cc79240604-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Kenneth Kay","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Rock_House,_Stephen_Hunter_Road,_Thomson_vicinity_(McDuffie_County,_Georgia).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kenneth Kay</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Rock_House,_Stephen_Hunter_Road,_Thomson_vicinity_(McDuffie_County,_Georgia).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208916","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Rock_House_(Thomson,_Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084862"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/mcduffie-county/old-rock-house-70000841/"}