McKinney, Dr. W. T., House
Also known as: Hughes House
Why it's listed
Built in 1919 on Cedartown Street in Cave Spring, this one-story farmhouse was the home of Dr. W.T. McKinney and the center of a working dairy farm. The house is nearly square, with a broad hip roof, several interior chimneys, a recessed porch on the front and north side, and stucco over masonry and frame construction. Porch columns are square piers on pedestals, and the sash windows have long, narrow panes, reflecting Craftsman-style detailing. The grounds hold scattered trees and a broad lawn, with two barns, a masonry smokehouse, other wood-framed outbuildings, a tenant house and fields nearby. The property was recognized for its architecture, as one of few distinguished early-20th-century residences in the area, and for agriculture, as the finest and most complete local example of the dairy-farming movement that grew popular in north Georgia. It also carries local history value through McKinney, who served the Georgia School for the Deaf as a doctor and sat as a director of the Hearn Academy.
Significance in brief: The house is considered one of a very few distinguished early-20th-century residences in Cave Spring, noted for sound construction, fine stucco work and Craftsman-style detailing. The farm is described as the finest and most complete local example of the north Georgia dairy-farming movement. It is also significant as the home of Dr. McKinney, a doctor for the Georgia School for the Deaf and a director of the Hearn Academy.
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 80001049, listed June 19, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Cedartown St., Cave Spring |
|---|---|
| County | Floyd County |
| Listed | June 19, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001049 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Craftsman-style detailing on an early-20th-century farmhouse |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition and in current use as a residence. |
| Acreage | 40.5 |
| Coordinates | 34.09913, -85.33870 (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 80001049.
- 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.