{"nrhp_refnum":"76000658","name":"Willis-Sale-Stennett House","other_names":["Great Oaks"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N of Danburg off GA 79 on SR 1445","address_restricted":false,"city":"Danburg","county":"Wilkes County","state":"GA","lat":33.925946460000034,"lon":-82.65430750699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-10-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Greek Revival frame house, also known as Great Oaks, in Wilkes County near Danburg, Georgia, built in the 1850s on land held by the Willis family. Family tradition says James Henry Willis began it in 1854 and finished it in 1857.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its architecture and its place in local history just before the Civil War. It is the earliest of four related houses in the area (with the Chennault, Matthews and Anderson houses) that show a stylistic shift from late Greek Revival toward Victorian influence. The form suggests a single master builder, possibly carpenter John Cunningham, influenced the group.","narrative":"Set back from State Road 1445 in Wilkes County, Georgia, this two-story frame house was built in the 1850s in the late Greek Revival style. Family tradition holds that James Henry Willis began construction in 1854 and completed it in 1857, though no documents confirm this. A full-width, two-story portico with five square columns shares a single roof with the house, so the columns act as structural supports. Inside is a central-hall, four-room plan on each floor, with a marbled mantel in the southwest front room and an unfinished attic with an unusual roof framing system. The house was re-sided in the 1950s and its rear porch was enclosed. Its main importance lies in its relationship to three nearby houses, the Chennault, Matthews and Anderson houses. Together they show late Greek Revival giving way to Victorian influence, possibly through the work of one builder, perhaps carpenter John Cunningham.","period_of_significance":"1850-1860","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in excellent condition, privately owned, occupied and used as a private residence and for agriculture; some rear alterations and 1950s re-siding.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.260495-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/76000658.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000658/97835156dc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000658/97835156dc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jud McCranie","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Willis_house,_Wilkes_County,_GA,_US.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jud McCranie</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Willis_house,_Wilkes_County,_GA,_US.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93209991","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis-Sale-Stennett_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17042058"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/wilkes-county/willis-sale-stennett-house-76000658/"}