Phillips-Turner-Kelly House
Why it's listed
Set along Calvin Road in rural northern Jasper County, northwest of Monticello, this wood-frame, weatherboarded house follows the plantation plain type. The main block has two rooms over two, a central hall on the first floor and two shed rooms at the rear. Stuccoed end chimneys, stone piers, a wraparound porch added before 1902 and a former detached kitchen now joined by an enclosed breezeway complete the house. Inside are wide tongue-and-groove boards, three historic mantels and many original doors. A hand-dug well, root cellar, auto shed, well house, crib barn and a pecan grove remain on the property. Built about 1810-1820, probably by Wiley Phillips, it later passed to Thomas Smith, Richard Turner, Shelly P. Downs and the Kelly family, who held it until 1997. It was listed because few plantation plain houses survive in Georgia, and fewer still this early and this intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare, intact surviving example of the plantation plain house type in Georgia. It keeps its original form, interior materials, hand-dug well and root cellar. Statewide, under 1% of surveyed historic houses are plantation plain types, and only 1.5% of surveyed houses predate 1835.
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 03000135, listed March 26, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3321 Calvin rd., Monticello |
|---|---|
| County | Jasper County |
| Listed | March 26, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000135 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1810-1820 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Other/Plantation Plain |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; recently rehabilitated, adding plumbing, electricity and HVAC. |
| Acreage | 7.3 |
| Coordinates | 33.38203, -83.70675 (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 03000135.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134382923
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.