Woodville
Also known as: Clark-Bentley House
Why it's listed
Woodville is a two-story Plantation Plain house with a central hall, rear shed rooms and exterior brick chimneys, built around 1819 several miles outside Milledgeville in the Scottsboro community. Georgia governor John Clark, a Revolutionary War veteran who served from 1819 to 1823, built it as a home apart from the governor's mansion. Seaton Grantland, a planter, attorney, congressman and co-owner of the Southern Recorder newspaper, later owned it, and his daughter and her husband ran the plantation afterward. The house keeps paired folding paneled doors in original form elsewhere in its design, Federal-style mantels, beaded clapboards, and nine-over-nine and nine-over-six windows. A two-story portico was removed before 1948, and parts of it may be reused in the present front porch. A stair, glass doors and a hall wall were added later. Because little original fabric was lost, it remains one of the oldest buildings in Baldwin County.
Significance in brief: It is one of the oldest standing buildings in Baldwin County and a relatively good surviving example of the Plantation Plain style. It was built as the home of Georgia governor John Clark and later owned by newspaper publisher and congressman Seaton Grantland. The nomination cites architecture, local history and communications as areas of significance.
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 79000695, listed June 22, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3 mi. (4.8 km) S of Milledgeville on GA 243, Milledgeville |
|---|---|
| County | Baldwin County |
| Listed | June 22, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000695 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | John Clark (builder) |
| Architectural style | Plantation Plain |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence in good condition, with alterations; several nineteenth-century outbuildings survive. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 33.01783, -83.24217 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 79000695.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q28124292
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.