Causey, Israel, House
Also known as: Maxham House
Why it's listed
Built around 1840 by Israel Causey, this one-and-a-half-story frame house on Maxham Road near Austell has a four-room central hall plan, a pitched roof extending over a shed porch, and two surviving original exterior chimneys. The porch floor and the wide attic boards are original, though later changes include dormer windows, a rear utility room and a remodeled hall. Causey came to Cobb County in 1833 after overseeing gold mines at Villa Rica, then farmed cotton and sugar cane on land in the former Cherokee gold lot district. The house is described as one of a few remaining plain-style structures in Georgia. Family accounts say Union soldiers occupied it during the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, and a period map shows it in its present location. After Causey's death in 1880, the property passed to the Maxham family in 1887. At the time of nomination it was endangered by possible road widening.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of a few remaining plain-style structures in Georgia. It is an early Cobb County building from the gold lot period, and the Causey family were among the county's pioneer settlers. Union soldiers were quartered there during the Civil War.
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 75000584, listed August 13, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5909 Maxham Rd., Austell |
|---|---|
| County | Cobb County |
| Listed | August 13, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75000584 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Israel Causey (builder) |
| Architectural style | Plain style |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence at the time of nomination; described as endangered by the possible widening of Maxham Road or the proposed Austell Road Extension right of way. |
| Acreage | 40 |
| Coordinates | 33.81005, -84.61789 (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 75000584.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134288957
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.