Turner, Henry Gray, House and Grounds
Why it's listed
Built around 1895 on the southeast edge of Quitman, Georgia, this two-story frame house follows a traditional Southern plan of four rooms over four around a central stair hall. Its hipped roof, hipped dormers, wraparound porch, shingled balcony and bay windows blend Neoclassical and Victorian motifs. Signed blueprints found in the attic show the plans came from Munn and Company, a New York publisher of Scientific American, making the house one of very few documented mail-order designs in Georgia. About twenty acres of grounds keep the period arrangement of a landscaped front yard with a gravel drive and a working rear yard, along with a carriage house and other outbuildings. The house was home to Henry Gray Turner, a Confederate officer, lawyer, state legislator, U.S. congressman from 1881 to 1896, and briefly a Georgia Supreme Court justice. Restoration was underway when the property was recognized.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is architecturally significant for combining several competing late-nineteenth-century design influences and as one of few documented Georgia houses built from mail-order plans. Its grounds are significant as well-preserved late-nineteenth-century landscaping. It is also tied to Henry Gray Turner, a soldier, lawyer, congressman and briefly a Georgia Supreme Court justice.
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 80000977, listed January 8, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1000 Old Madison Rd., Quitman |
|---|---|
| County | Brooks County |
| Listed | January 8, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000977 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific date ca. 1895) |
| Architect / builder | Munn and Company, New York City |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, combining Neoclassical and other eclectic motifs |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Law, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Under restoration at the time of nomination; the owners planned to occupy it as their primary residence once work was complete. |
| Acreage | 20.7 |
| Coordinates | 30.77895, -83.54962 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 80000977.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16995191
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.