Omer Christian Church and Cemetery
Why it's listed
Omer Christian Church and Cemetery sits in a rural part of Barrow County near Winder, Georgia, where development is growing because of nearby Highway 316. The church is a one-room, front-gabled wood building with clapboard siding, a metal roof and shuttered windows. Inside are pine plank walls, a coved ceiling and hand-hewn pews. Settlers built it in 1883 from trees felled in a storm, naming it for evangelist Reverend R.V. Omer. After the congregation dissolved in 1909, the building was moved in 1910 to the cemetery, which began around 1820 and holds about 280 known graves, including some of the area's earliest settlers. The church is considered significant because it has avoided common changes such as artificial siding, replacement windows and large additions. The cemetery is valued for its orderly rows, simple markers and informal landscape. Descendants of the five original families still gather each August for a reunion service and dinner on the grounds.
Significance in brief: The church is argued to be an excellent and unusually intact example of a late 19th-century rural vernacular church in Georgia, essentially unaltered despite its move. The cemetery is significant as an intact rural cemetery landscape with orderly rows, simple markers, cedar trees and a swept-yard appearance. Both are significant at the local level under Criterion C.
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 00000074, listed February 10, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of GA 316 and GA 324, Winder |
|---|---|
| County | Barrow County |
| Listed | February 10, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000074 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1820-1950 |
| Architectural style | Other: rural vernacular church |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The church has been inactive as a congregation since the move and serves as a funeral chapel; it is used once a year for a reunion service. The cemetery is still in use. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 33.95275, -83.76277 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 00000074.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q116465415
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.