Alexander-Cleveland House
Also known as: Cleveland House
Why it's listed
Built most probably in 1791 by William Alexander, this two-story frame house sat on a hill near where Coldwater Creek meets the Savannah River in Elbert County, Georgia. It followed the plantation plain form: two rooms over two, a gabled roof, double-hipped exterior end chimneys and enclosed front and rear shed porches, giving six rooms on the main floor. The chimneys carried a barely legible date and the initials W.A. Inside, wide pine sheathing, beaded wainscot and six-panel doors survived. Alexander bought the land in 1789 and held it until 1796, and the Cleveland family later owned it for well over a century. A local tradition claimed a date of 1741, but deed research pointed to the 1790s. The house was valued as a relatively intact 18th-century example and as an early frame house in the county. It stood unoccupied, and a fire destroyed it in June 1982.
Significance in brief: The nomination argued it was of statewide architectural significance as a relatively intact 18th-century plantation plain house, with a two-over-two room plan, gabled roof and exterior end chimneys. It was also of local importance as an early frame house in Elbert County. Later documents record that fire destroyed the house in June 1982.
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 77000423, listed September 15, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3.5 mi. NE of Ruckersville, Ruckersville |
|---|---|
| County | Elbert County |
| Listed | September 15, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000423 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | William Alexander (builder) |
| Architectural style | Plantation Plain |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied at the time of nomination. Documents in the file report that a fire totally destroyed the vacant house on 22 June 1982, after it had been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey, and that removal from the Register was recommended. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 34.18730, -82.73666 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 77000423.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.