Bank of Surrency
Also known as: Surrency Post Office
Why it's listed
Built in 1911 on the railroad-facing corner of Main and Hart streets, this one-story brick building in Surrency, Georgia, opened as a branch of the Baxley Banking Company. It has a flat roof, a slightly stepped parapet with round blind arches, and simple cast-concrete details, including window lintels and sills, a keystone hood and two medallions dated 1911. Inside, it keeps plaster walls, wood wainscoting, wood trim and a metal-ceilinged vault room. Surrency once billed itself as the crosstie center of the world, and this bank was the town's only one from 1911 to 1921. The banking company failed in 1922. From 1926 into 1960 the building served as the fifth Surrency post office and a center of community activity. Later it held stored sweet potatoes and deteriorated. It is the last historic commercial building downtown, and the city bought it in 1999 to preserve it for possible museum or visitor use.
Significance in brief: It is the only remaining historic commercial building in downtown Surrency. It is a good example of a small-town brick bank with minimal cast-concrete detailing and retains original exterior and interior materials. It was the town's only bank from 1911 to 1921 and housed the post office from 1926 into 1960.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02001742, listed January 31, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 80 Hart St., Surrency |
|---|---|
| County | Appling County |
| Listed | January 31, 2003 |
| Reference number | 02001742 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1911-1952 |
| Architectural style | OTHER: Early 20th Century Commercial Building |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce, Communications |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function listed as vacant/not in use. Formerly used for sweet potato storage and allowed to deteriorate; the City of Surrency bought it in 1999 intending a museum or visitor center. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 31.72446, -82.19852 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02001742.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q38251948
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.