Jones County High School
Also known as: Gray High School
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Why it's listed
Jones County High School is a one-story, brick-veneered Colonial Revival building on Clinton Street in Gray, Georgia. Completed in 1936, it was designed by Macon architect Ellamae Ellis League and built by Stillwell Construction Company with a mix of local money and Public Works Administration funds. Its H-plan core includes a rear auditorium seating about 600, and features include a projecting pavilion with quoins, a hipped roof with arched dormers, and an arched entrance with decorative woodwork. It was Jones County's first consolidated high school for white students and the largest federally funded public works project in Gray. League became a registered architect in 1929 and was later named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. The school served until 1990, when a new high school opened and demolition was considered. The local Chamber of Commerce took ownership in 1992 and proposed restoring the building for offices and community use.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the first consolidated white school in Jones County built with partial Public Works Administration funding, and an excellent intact example of an H-plan New Deal school from Georgia's school consolidation era. It is also significant for its design by Ellamae Ellis League, described as the most prominent woman architect in Georgia.
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 99000555, listed May 12, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Clinton St., Gray |
|---|---|
| County | Jones County |
| Listed | May 12, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000555 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1936 |
| Architect / builder | Ellamae Ellis League (1899-1991); contract awarded to Stillwell Construction Company of Macon |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Other, Education, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The school was abandoned in 1990 when a new high school opened. It was deeded to the Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce in 1992, and current function is listed as work in progress, with an adaptive use plan for chamber offices and community meeting space. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 33.00736, -83.53846 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 99000555.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q29641859
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.