Gillsville Historic District

Gillsville is a small railroad town on the line between Banks and Hall Counties in Georgia, and its historic district stretches in a line along State Route 52 and the tracks. The core is a group of attached one-story brick stores with corbelled cornices, stepped rooflines and shed porches, joined by a two-story wood-framed corner building. Nearby houses are mostly one-story wood-framed vernacular or Victorian-eclectic homes with metal roofs, wrap-around porches and turned or chamfered porch posts. The two-story Greek Revival Garrison House is the only pre-Civil War residence. The town grew along the railroad in the 1870s after John Garrison deeded land for its construction, and it took its name from Josiah H. Gill, its first postmaster in 1833. Local businesses included a general store, grist mill, cotton gin, blacksmith, and brick and jug makers serving nearby farms. The district is recognized for its architecture, commerce, town planning and local history.