Davis-Felton Plantation
Why it's listed
Mossy Hill, the Davis-Felton Plantation, is a 1,772-acre farm northwest of Henderson in Houston County, Georgia. Its centerpiece is a two-story Italianate house with a three-story tower, an irregular L-shaped plan, corner pilasters, dentil molding and a curved entrance staircase. William Mazyck Davis moved from South Carolina in the early 1850s to find new cotton land, assembled the property by 1864 and moved his family into the house in 1859. Family tradition says he designed it and that skilled enslaved workers built it from lumber cut on the land. Few Italianate plantation houses were built in pre-Civil War Georgia, and this one is largely unaltered. The Davis family held the land until 1926, when the Felton family bought it. Crops shifted from cotton to wheat and peaches after the boll weevil arrived, and later to soybeans. Tenant houses, a 1930s peach-packing plant and possible prehistoric and slave-era archaeological sites add to its importance.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 and 1900- (specific dates ca. 1855-present) |
|---|---|
| Styles | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Prehistoric, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Acreage | 1772.5 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Davis-Felton Plantation (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.