Sands Hill Historic District
Why it's listed
Sand Hills is a densely settled African-American neighborhood in western Augusta, laid out on an incomplete grid with long, narrow lots. It began soon after the Civil War, when freed people settled land once owned by white Summerville families and worked as domestics and laborers for them. The district holds 335 contributing resources, including a cemetery shown on an 1874 map, shotgun houses, cottages, bungalows and larger two-story Craftsman homes. Augusta's 1913 racial zoning ordinance brought more residents, among them middle-class families who built larger houses in popular styles. Corner stores, several churches such as Cumming Grove Baptist and Rock of Ages C.M.E., and the 1936 Weed School, built with public works funds, served the community. Swept yards and tree-lined streets with uniform setbacks reflect historic landscape traditions. The district was recognized for its architecture, African-American heritage, planning and landscape, with a period of significance from 1874 to 1947.
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 | 1874-1947 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Colonial Revival, Dutch Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Craftsman, Folk Victorian, Minimal Traditional, and vernacular types including Georgian Cottage, Central Hall, Shotgun, Bungalow, Gabled Ell Cottage and Pyramid Cottage |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Black, Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture |
| Acreage | 231 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Sands Hill Historic District (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.