{"nrhp_refnum":"93000430","name":"Stewart Stores","other_names":["Caldwell Stores","Portal Commercial Historic District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Jct. of Railroad and Grady Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Portal","county":"Bulloch County","state":"GA","lat":32.53830490100006,"lon":-81.93164808299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-05-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Health/Medicine","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small commercial district of four one-story, wood-framed buildings (a drug store and doctor's office, two Caldwell Stores, and a commissary) at Railroad Street in Portal, Bulloch County, Georgia, built about 1908-1909.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the stores are well-preserved examples of early 20th century commercial vernacular architecture with largely intact interiors. They are also significant for commerce, since the drug store holds the region's oldest surviving soda fountain and medical facility. The district is also tied to Dr. James A. Stewart, Portal's first doctor and a leading civic figure.","narrative":"Four modest wood-framed buildings on Railroad Street form what remains of the original business center of Portal, a Bulloch County town laid out around a railroad station in 1908. The group includes a drug store and doctor's office, two adjoining general and storage stores built by C. W. Caldwell in 1909, and a rear commissary. Local carpenter-builders used machine-cut heart pine, weatherboard siding and tin roofs, and the interiors keep their original shelving, counters and floors. The drug store still holds its marble soda fountain, installed in 1909-10, along with Dr. James A. Stewart's desk, books and medical bottles. Stewart, born in 1880, was the town's first doctor, a council member, church officer and civic leader. He acquired all four buildings by 1943. The district was listed for its architecture, its role in local commerce and medicine, and its link to Stewart, and it now serves as a museum.","period_of_significance":"ca.1908-1943","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Other (commercial vernacular)","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as a museum; the commissary is used for storage. Changes to the buildings are described as minimal.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:43.317212-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/93000430.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207165","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/bulloch-county/stewart-stores-93000430/"}