Stewart, Dr. James A., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1908-1909 on Grady Street in Portal, Georgia, this one-story frame house was the home of Dr. James A. Stewart, a young physician who arrived in the area after graduating from medical college in 1906. It is the earliest surviving house in the town. The heart pine house follows a four-room, central-hall plan under a large hipped roof, with a full-length front porch decorated in machine-cut Folk Victorian trim and ornamented gables. Original mantels, doors, plank walls and a once decoratively painted hallway wainscot remain. Several outbuildings also survive, including a privy, barn, stables, garage, brick horse trough and brick boiler. Stewart became Portal's most prominent citizen, running a drugstore, serving on the first town council in 1914, and helping raise funds to keep rail service running. The property was recognized for its architecture, for its link to him, and for its role in the town's early growth.
Significance in brief: The house is described as the earliest surviving residential structure in Portal and an intact example of a four-room, central-hall Georgian Cottage with local craftsman woodwork. It is also tied to Dr. J. A. Stewart (1880-1952), the town's first doctor, pharmacist and civic leader. An unusually complete set of outbuildings illustrates a turn-of-the-century domestic property.
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 93000439, listed May 27, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Grady St., Portal |
|---|---|
| County | Bulloch County |
| Listed | May 27, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000439 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1908-1943 |
| Architect / builder | unknown (built by local carpenter-builders) |
| Architectural style | Other: Folk Victorian; Georgian Cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as recreation and culture/museum; the form says changes to the house have been minimal and the interiors appear intact. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 32.53975, -81.93102 (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 93000439.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134133278
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.