Dorough Round Barn and Farm
Also known as: Round Barn
Why it's listed
Near Hickory Level in Carroll County, Georgia, this farm is dominated by a fourteen-sided round barn of oak board-and-batten construction, ninety feet across and forty feet tall, set on a reinforced poured-concrete foundation. A 150-ton silo stands at its center, ringed by feed bins and dairy stalls. E.W. Dorough had the barn built in 1917 after seeing a round barn in Arkansas and being encouraged by the county agent to enter the dairy business. Builder Floyd Lovell reportedly cut every piece of wood in advance, and the barn cost $7,500. Round barns were promoted in farm periodicals of the time for their usable floor space and convenient feed storage. Poor roads, distant creameries and harsh winters ended the dairy operation around 1925-26. The farm also includes a nineteenth-century farmhouse, a carriage house, a privy, a tenant house and a small barn. Only four round barns are known to have been built in Georgia, and the land has remained with the Dorough family.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the barn is an unusual example of agricultural architecture, one of only four round barns known in Georgia, with progressive features such as a poured-concrete foundation and central silo. The farm also illustrates an early attempt at dairying in Carroll County. The land has stayed in the same family for generations.
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 80000986, listed January 20, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N of Hickory Level on Villa Rica Rd., Hickory Level |
|---|---|
| County | Carroll County |
| Listed | January 20, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000986 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-1917 |
| Architect / builder | Floyd Lovell (builder of the Round Barn) |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Round Barn first floor used to store farm machinery; second floor vacant; tenant house deteriorated; farmhouse occupied; roof damaged recently, but framing, silo and basic form intact. |
| Acreage | 196 |
| Coordinates | 33.68531, -84.98814 (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 80000986.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5298710
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.