{"nrhp_refnum":"85000933","name":"Rockwell Universalist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"GA 53 & Rockwell Church Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Winder","county":"Barrow County","state":"GA","lat":34.03542979500003,"lon":-83.71357718099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-05-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story frame rural church at the intersection of GA 53 and Rockwell Church Road near Winder, Barrow County, Georgia, built in 1881 by an unknown builder for a Universalist congregation.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a good example of a simple, rural Greek Revival church, with wood construction, one room and no ornamentation, in keeping with the congregation's faith. It is also significant in religion as one of the few Universalist churches ever to exist in Georgia, a denomination that stayed small and mostly rural in the state.","narrative":"Rockwell Universalist Church is a modest one-story frame building at a rural crossroads near Winder, Barrow County, Georgia. Built in 1881, it has a single sanctuary, weatherboard walls, a metal shingle roof and an inset front porch with four columns beneath a gable roof. Two small rooms behind the pulpit were later converted to a restroom and kitchen, and newer wainscoting, flooring, lighting and a side entrance have been added. The church was recognized for its plain, traditional Greek Revival character, which reflects earlier rural churches and the congregation's choice to avoid religious symbols or decoration. It also represents the Universalist faith, a liberal Protestant body that never grew large in Georgia and remained mostly in rural communities. The congregation formed in 1839, reorganized in 1867, and took the Rockwell name in 1925. It continues to hold an annual homecoming and has hosted the Universalists' state convention for many years.","period_of_significance":"1881","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a religious building; the congregation is described as small but active and still holds an annual homecoming.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:43.474647-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/85000933.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000933/df76a26a9d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000933/df76a26a9d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Chris Pruitt","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rockwell_Universalist_Church_Oct_2012_3.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Chris Pruitt</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rockwell_Universalist_Church_Oct_2012_3.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93206927","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwell_Universalist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7355684"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/barrow-county/rockwell-universalist-church-85000933/"}