Jonesboro Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Stately Oaks
Why it's listed
Jonesboro's historic district preserves the core of a Georgia railroad town about 20 miles south of Atlanta. Colonel Samuel Goode Jones laid out the streets in 1843-1845 after the Monroe Railroad arrived, with the tracks running through the center of town. The district includes the brick business blocks of Main and McDonough Streets, most built before 1900, and residential streets with Greek Revival cottages and two-story houses. In August 1864 Union cavalry burned much of the town, and the Battle of Jonesboro, fought on August 31 and September 1, led directly to the fall of Atlanta. Rebuilding began in the late 1860s, producing Victorian brick buildings such as the 1869 Court House and Jail, the 1867 stone train station, and the 1898 clock-tower courthouse. Several antebellum houses served as hospitals during the battle. The district also contains a Confederate cemetery holding several hundred soldiers and the original town cemetery.
Significance in brief: Jonesboro was an antebellum commercial and shipping center on the Macon & Western Railroad and the site of the Battle of Jonesboro (Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, 1864), which led directly to the fall of Atlanta. The district also keeps a collection of simple Greek Revival cottages and houses, many of them probably the work of a single builder, along with post-war Victorian brick commercial buildings.
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 72000381, listed January 20, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | GA 54 and 3, Jonesboro |
|---|---|
| County | Clayton County |
| Listed | January 20, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000381 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (box checked; 20th Century also marked) |
| Architect / builder | Mansfield & Chapman (1869 Court House and Jail); Whitmall P. Allen and the Allen family credited by local tradition with Greek Revival houses, 1839-1850 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival and Victorian, including Victorian Gothic |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Military, Transportation, Literature, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked fair and altered. Several buildings have been renovated or modernized but not properly restored. Restoration of the 1867 train station and 1869 jail was planned or under way. |
| Acreage | 300 |
| Coordinates | 33.52391, -84.35397 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 72000381.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6275382
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.