Whitesville Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Cemetery
Also known as: Whitesville United Methodist Church and Cemetery
Why it's listed
Whitesville Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is a white-painted, wood-frame country church completed in 1854, with an adjoining cemetery on the north side of Pine Lake Road in rural Harris County, Georgia. Its heavy hand-hewn pine frame and open interior reflect vernacular church building of the 19th century. Around 1900, as the town's prosperity began to fade, the congregation added a bell tower, fishscale shingles, lancet vents and a simple cornice, giving the building Queen Anne and Neoclassical Revival touches. A basement fellowship hall and electric lighting followed in the 1930s, and a choir loft in the early 1950s. The church grew from circuit-riding preachers in the 1820s and 1830s and served a town once known for a stagecoach stop, a large hotel and academies. The cemetery holds graves from the 1840s onward, including stacked-stone graves, obelisks and mail-order metal markers. Together they are among the few remaining landmarks of Whitesville, and the church is still in use.
Significance in brief: The church is argued to be the most important surviving landmark of the once-thriving town of Whitesville, representing its founding, growth and decline (Criterion A). It is also an intact example of a small rural church, updated around 1900 with Queen Anne and Neoclassical Revival elements (Criterion C). The cemetery is significant for its variety of burial marker types, from stacked-stone graves to mail-order metal markers.
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 02000077, listed February 22, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4731 Pine Lake Rd., Whitesville |
|---|---|
| County | Harris County |
| Listed | February 22, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000077 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1854-1951 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Queen Anne (details) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Art, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The church remains in continuous use as an active, small Methodist congregation, and the church maintains the cemetery. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 32.81984, -85.03508 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 02000077.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q125416657
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.