Tarver Plantation
Also known as: Tarva Plantation
Why it's listed
Tarver Plantation is a 1,300-acre tract of farmland and forest in Baker County, Georgia, anchored by a one-story Greek Revival house built about 1850 for newlyweds Henry Andrew Tarver and Elizabeth Solomon Tarver. In 1850 the plantation covered 3,700 acres and grew corn, cotton, oats, peas, beans and sweet potatoes, worked by enslaved labor until the Civil War and later by sharecroppers. It supplied food to the Confederate government during the war. The house has a full-width portico, side porticoes, transoms and sidelights, and an unusual Greek-cross hallway plan with a large room at each corner. Restoration in the 1940s added a larger kitchen wing and plaster ornament but left the mid-nineteenth-century character intact. Later the land served as a hunting preserve and seasonal home. A reported slave cemetery with one marked grave lies behind the house. The property was listed for its agricultural history and its architecture.
Significance in brief: The property is significant in agriculture as a large working plantation operated under slavery and then sharecropping, and later used as a hunting preserve and seasonal home. It is significant in architecture for its very intact Greek Revival house with an unusual Greek-cross hallway plan. A reported slave cemetery is counted as a rare and important contributing resource.
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 89002037, listed November 27, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Tarva Rd./Co. Rt. 122, N of Newton, Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Baker County |
| Listed | November 27, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89002037 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c.1850-1897 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a seasonal home with agricultural and forest land; the house was restored in the 1940s, and no historic outbuildings remain. |
| Acreage | 1300 |
| Coordinates | 31.42572, -84.34229 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89002037.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q38251686
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.