Bartow Historic District
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Why it's listed
Bartow is a small railroad town in southwest Jefferson County, Georgia, and its historic district preserves the homes, shops, industrial buildings and community landmarks that grew up along the Central of Georgia line. The settlement began as Speir's Turnout in the early 1840s, after James Speir granted right-of-way and land for a depot, and was renamed Bartow in the early 1860s. One-story brick stores with corbelled cornices line Railroad Avenue and Church Street, while Back Street served as the African-American commercial area. A rare frame livery barn, two early gas stations, a cotton gin, warehouses and a water tower recall the town's agricultural economy. Houses range from the c. 1850 Kinman-Salter House to Queen Anne cottages, Craftsman bungalows and a Neoclassical-style Georgian house. An African-American neighborhood lies south of downtown. Because the town has barely grown since the mid-20th century, most buildings predate 1958, leaving the historic townscape largely intact.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the residential, commercial, industrial and community landmark buildings of a railroad town that grew from the early 1840s around the Central of Georgia line. It includes an African-American neighborhood and commercial area, a rail-side agricultural complex, and houses from the late 19th to mid-20th century. Little population growth since the mid-20th century left the town's historic fabric largely intact.
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 08001320, listed January 13, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly centered along U.S. Hwy. 221, U.S. Hwy. 319 and the CSX rail line, Bartow |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | January 13, 2009 |
| Reference number | 08001320 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Folk Victorian, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, plus vernacular types such as New South cottage, Georgian cottage, central hall, shotgun and American Foursquare |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce, Community Planning and Development, Black, Industry, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic buildings remain in mixed use: homes, businesses, a post office, churches, a cemetery, and a former school now serving as a community center. Some Back Street commercial buildings are overgrown with vegetation. |
| Acreage | 209 |
| Coordinates | 32.88494, -82.47173 (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 08001320.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q85745553
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.