Gillespie-Selden Historic District
Why it's listed
Southwest of downtown Cordele, this neighborhood of roughly 42 acres grew from about 1890 as a community for African-American residents, many of them railroad laborers. Its low-lying site beside the tracks was considered undesirable by white settlers, and segregation led residents to build their own schools, churches, stores and a hospital. Most buildings are one-story wood houses in modest types such as saddlebag, pyramid cottage and bungalow. The centerpiece is the Gillespie-Selden Institute, begun around 1902 by Dr. Augustus Clark and his wife, Anna, of St. Paul Presbyterian Church, with northern Presbyterian donations. It grew to include a hospital, nursing school, dormitories and an administration building, and merged with the Selden Institute of Brunswick in 1933. The school closed in 1956, and the campus now offers day-care and community outreach. Four early 20th-century churches anchor major intersections. The district is recognized for its ethnic heritage, education, medicine, religion, community development and architecture.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be a good representative example of an urban African-American neighborhood shaped by segregation, with schools, churches, a hospital and stores forming its core. It is also tied to Dr. Augustus Clark and St. Paul Presbyterian Church, which founded the school and hospital. Its houses and landmark buildings are described as representative examples of late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture.
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 97000336, listed December 2, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Railroad, 10th, and 15th Sts., and 16th Ave., Cordele |
|---|---|
| County | Crisp County |
| Listed | December 2, 1998 |
| Reference number | 97000336 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c.1890-1949 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Folk Victorian, and vernacular house types (saddlebag, pyramid cottage, shotgun, central hallway, gable ell, bungalow, Georgian cottage, American Foursquare, Queen Anne cottage) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Education, Architecture, Religion, Health/Medicine, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The neighborhood remains densely developed and largely African-American. The former institute is now used for day-care and community outreach, though some historic building stock and corner stores have been lost. |
| Acreage | 50 |
| Coordinates | 31.96353, -83.79101 (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 97000336.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q111938602
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.