Summerville Depot
Why it's listed
Built in 1918 on East Washington Avenue in Summerville, Georgia, this one-story frame depot combined passenger and freight service under a hipped roof with wide eaves. It replaced an earlier depot destroyed by fire in November 1917. Central of Georgia Railroad engineers used a standard combination-depot plan, and the building cost $6,800. Inside were a ticket office with a bay window facing the tracks, two separate waiting rooms for Black and white passengers, and a large freight room. Decoration was limited to wainscoting and modest detailing. The depot served as the county seat's main point for travel, freight, mail and telegraph messages, and it witnessed troops leaving and returning during both World Wars. Passenger service ended in 1950, and the building later became a warehouse and then a craft shop. Largely unaltered apart from the lost loading platform, it is now owned by the county historical society, which plans restoration for meetings, archives and exhibits.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a good example of a functional, no-frills small-town combination depot with features typical of Georgia depots. It also served as the county seat's main rail, freight, mail and telegraph point from 1918 into the 1950s, seeing soldiers leave for and return from both World Wars.
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 91002037, listed January 29, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 120 E. Washington Ave., Summerville |
|---|---|
| County | Chattooga County |
| Listed | January 29, 1992 |
| Reference number | 91002037 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1918-1941 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; designed by company engineers of the Central of Georgia Railroad |
| Architectural style | No style (described in the text as prairie style) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Chattooga County Historical Society since 1989, which plans restoration for meetings, archives and museum exhibits; formerly a craft shop in the 1980s; the loading platform has been lost. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Summerville Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 34.47995, -85.34607 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 91002037.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q85804075
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.