{"nrhp_refnum":"77000422","name":"Gaines, Ralph, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N of Elberton on GA 368","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elberton","county":"Elbert County","state":"GA","lat":34.20235672100006,"lon":-82.80863822347212,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-10-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A log cabin and frame cottage on Georgia Highway 368, about 7 miles north of Elberton in Elbert County, Georgia, built by Ralph Gaines in the 1820s, with a chimney dated 1827. The original log room may predate 1820.","why_significant":"The nomination argues for architectural significance in the original log cabin portion and the nearby log barns. The diaper-pattern glazed-header chimney is described as extremely rare in Georgia in the nineteenth century, and the carved pine mantelpiece is also noted. The chimney may have been influenced by the c.1800 Ralph Banks House.","narrative":"Seven miles north of Elberton in Elbert County, Georgia, a log cabin and frame cottage built by Ralph Gaines in the 1820s stands beside Highway 368. One chimney carries the date 1827, and the original log room may be older than 1820. Later frame rooms were added around 1840 and again near the turn of the century, and the log portion is now hidden under weatherboard siding. Its most notable feature is the chimney, which has a diaper pattern of glazed headers, a type of brickwork described as extremely rare in nineteenth-century Georgia. Inside, a carved pine mantelpiece with fluted pilasters and dentils survives. Two log barns built by Gaines remain nearby. Gaines farmed and also made wagons and farm tools. The chimney may have been influenced by the c.1800 Ralph Banks House, as the two men were close friends who helped build the first Coldwater Methodist Church. The nominated area covers 24 acres.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Ralph Gaines","architectural_style":"Log cabin with frame additions; variation of the southern I house plan","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is listed as good. Described as a private residence, occupied part-time by the widow of a Gaines descendant, with the crop land temporarily idle.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.482437-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/77000422.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207939","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Gaines_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85795778"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/elbert-county/gaines-ralph-house-77000422/"}