Waynesboro Historic District

Waynesboro Historic District covers roughly 435 acres of the county seat of Burke County, Georgia, about 25 miles south of Augusta. Its street grid follows a town plan authorized in 1783, with wide main streets and uniform rectangular lots still largely intact. The 1857 courthouse sits on one of the original public squares, surrounded by one- and two-story brick storefronts. East of downtown, warehouses and grain bins grew up along the railroad that arrived around 1856 to serve agricultural processing. Most of the district, roughly 70 to 75 percent of its properties, is residential, with larger homes along Liberty Street, Myrick Street and Jones Avenue and modest houses on the outskirts. Styles range from Greek Revival to Craftsman, with Craftsman the most common. The northwest area holds many African-American churches and schools. The district counts 486 contributing resources and incorporates four earlier listings, including the courthouse and the commercial historic district.