{"nrhp_refnum":"86002050","name":"Skelton, Alexander Stephens, House","other_names":["Balback Residence"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"214 Athens St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hartwell","county":"Hart County","state":"GA","lat":34.348590098000045,"lon":-82.94229555199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one and one-half story frame Craftsman-style house at 214 Athens Street in Hartwell, Hart County, Georgia, built around 1918 for Alexander Stephens Skelton and his wife Caroline, using pattern book plans by Leila Ross Wilburn and built by Will Temple.","why_significant":"It is a good local example of Craftsman/Bungalow domestic architecture, with low massing, a broad gable roof, and a wide front porch with squat Tuscan columns. It is also tied to architect Leila Ross Wilburn and the Temple family of builders, retains early 20th century landscape features, and reflects the civic life of the Skelton family in Hartwell.","narrative":"This one and one-half story frame house at 214 Athens Street in Hartwell was built around 1918 for Alexander Stephens Skelton and his wife Caroline. Skelton was a lawyer who served as Solicitor General of the Northeast Georgia Judicial Circuit, and Caroline taught school. Will Temple built the house from pattern book plans supplied by Atlanta architect Leila Ross Wilburn. It shows Craftsman and Bungalow features: low massing, a broad gable roof, wide eaves, and a front porch with squat Tuscan columns on brick piers that extends to form a car port. Inside, rooms open onto a central entry and stair foyer. Boxed cornices and short porch columns are unusual for the style. The property also keeps early 20th century landscape elements, including rock walls, concrete garden forms, a paved drive, and mature plantings, along with a historic garage. It was listed for its architecture, its landscape, and its link to the Skelton family's civic life in Hartwell.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Leila Ross Wilburn (pattern book design)/Temple family (contractors); Will Temple built the house","architectural_style":"Craftsman/Bungalow","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"In use as a residence; described as in good condition, with recent alterations including an enlarged kitchen and a sliding glass door.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:43.217035-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/86002050.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002050/9b9374c143-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002050/9b9374c143-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Upstateherd","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Stephens_Skelton_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Upstateherd</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:Alexander_Stephens_Skelton_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93206280","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134379119"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/hart-county/skelton-alexander-stephens-house-86002050/"}