Rucker House
Also known as: Cedar Grove
Why it's listed
Built soon after Joseph Rucker's 1812 marriage, this two-story weatherboarded house in Ruckersville, Georgia, began as a symmetrical Plantation Plain dwelling with two end chimneys. Their diamond patterns in glazed brick are unusual in Georgia and may reflect the family's Virginia roots. In the late 1830s or early 1840s Rucker added two one-room wings and a four-bay, two-story portico, giving the house Greek Revival detailing. One wing and the portico have since been lost. The wings may have held the office of the Ruckersville Banking Company, which Rucker founded in 1838. Rucker became one of Georgia's wealthiest planters, owning over 13,000 acres by 1860. A cedar and boxwood avenue gave the place the name Cedar Grove. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Rucker Lamar was born here in 1857. Today the house is unoccupied and used as a hay barn, with no original outbuildings surviving.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as a foremost example of a sophisticated Plantation Plain structure with well-considered Greek Revival additions. It is tied to Joseph Rucker, a very wealthy planter who founded the Ruckersville Banking Company in 1838, and to the town of Ruckersville. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Rucker Lamar was born there in 1857, and the author Corra Harris, a great-granddaughter of Joseph Rucker, was also born in Ruckersville.
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 78000979, listed June 23, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | GA 985, Ruckersville |
|---|---|
| County | Elbert County |
| Listed | June 23, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000979 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Joseph Rucker |
| Architectural style | Plantation Plain with Greek Revival additions |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Literature, Law, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied and in poor condition; one wing and the portico are lost, none of the original outbuildings remain, and the house is used as a hay barn. |
| Acreage | 11 |
| Coordinates | 34.16373, -82.78923 (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 78000979.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16979568
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.