Hartwell Commercial Historic District

Hartwell's commercial core is a compact district of about 14 acres where dense rows of one- and two-story brick buildings front the sidewalks and a landscaped courthouse square. Most buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and show simple late-Victorian detailing such as corbelled brick, arched windows and parapet roofs. A Romanesque Revival corner bank with rusticated stone and a corner turret anchors the square, while a wood-framed Victorian Eclectic depot with decorative shingles and brackets stands near the rail lines. The district was listed for its architecture, its example of courthouse-square landscaping with water oaks and elms, and its role in community planning and commerce. Hartwell was laid out on a gridiron plan in 1856 with the square at its center, and the railroad, added in 1879, drew cotton-related warehouses and industry to Depot Street. Brick buildings replaced earlier frame ones, several lost to fire.