Thomson Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase and Decrease)

Downtown Thomson, in east Georgia, grew up around a railroad stop, and its commercial core still shows that origin. The district covers about 19 acres of mostly one- and two-story brick buildings with shared walls, uniform setbacks and storefronts that open onto the sidewalk. A masonry ordinance passed in 1888, after a fire destroyed many wood-frame buildings, shaped much of the streetscape. Notable resources include the granite Georgia Railroad depot of 1860, a 1903 Masonic Lodge, the 1913 Stacy Turner Building, a 1914 City Hall/Firehouse, a 1932 Colonial Revival post office now serving as the library, and the Princess Theater. Warehouses and a cotton gin near the tracks reflect the cotton, fertilizer and lumber trade shipped by rail to Augusta. A granite Confederate women's memorial stands near the depot. The district was recognized for its architecture, its role in local commerce and its illustration of a town laid out along a railroad rather than around a square, with a period of significance from 1854 to 1938.