Holder Plantation
Also known as: Plantation at Jefferson
Why it's listed
Holder Plantation is a surviving farm complex about three and a half miles northwest of Jefferson, Georgia. Its centerpiece is a two-story, frame I-house built around 1867 as an addition to an 1850s two-room structure with a central chimney. The house has a five-bay front, square columns, two-level porches, and an entrance with transom and sidelights. Inside, heart pine floors, plain mantels, wainscoting and original moldings remain. Behind the house stand historic outbuildings, including a commissary for workers, a sweet potato house and a two-story granary, all frame buildings with tin gable roofs on stone piers. Wagon sheds, wells, a stone wall, a rock dam from a former cotton gin and a metal water tower also survive. The property was listed for architecture because the house shows how a modest antebellum dwelling was expanded, and because the outbuildings represent functional farm building types that are now rare. Thomas R. Holder bought 586 acres in 1863 and held 1,589 acres by 1873.
Significance in brief: The c. 1867 I-house is a good example of a vernacular house type that grew from an earlier 1850s two-room structure, with restrained detailing typical of Reconstruction. The commissary, sweet potato house and granary are now-rare functional farm buildings typical of late 19th-century northeast Georgia. Together they form a historic farm setting representative of Jackson County.
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 90001408, listed September 5, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Possum Creek Rd. and US 129, Jefferson |
|---|---|
| County | Jackson County |
| Listed | September 5, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001408 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1850s, c. 1867 |
| Architectural style | Other: I-house |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling and for agricultural purposes; the front porch was reconstructed from an early 20th-century photograph, and a swimming pool and two modern barns are noncontributing. |
| Acreage | 28 |
| Coordinates | 34.14943, -83.61926 (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 90001408.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q65068386
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.