Old Clinton Historic District
Also known as: Old Clinton
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Old Clinton is a historic district of about 290 acres in Jones County, Georgia, centered on a courthouse square laid out when the town became county seat in 1808. Twelve major frame houses survive on a grid of streets, most built between 1809 and the late 1820s in the plain style, often with refined classical details. Several are attributed to Daniel Pratt, a Connecticut craftsman who also managed Samuel Griswold's cotton gin factory. That factory was among the largest of its kind in the country until Sherman's army destroyed it in 1864. Clinton also housed an academy tied to early women's education. A Methodist church and an old town cemetery with graves from the 1790s remain. Because the town declined to support a railroad route, it stagnated, and that lack of growth helped preserve its early character. The district was listed to protect this setting from highway widening and commercial pressure.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Clinton is a rare surviving early frontier county seat in Georgia's lower Piedmont, with a closely related group of plain style houses, several attributed to craftsman Daniel Pratt. It was also home to one of the country's largest cotton gin manufacturers and an early female seminary. Its lack of later development, after it declined to support a railroad, preserved its early appearance.
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 74000690, listed September 12, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Runs along US 129 and SR 11, Clinton |
|---|---|
| County | Jones County |
| Listed | September 12, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000690 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | Incorporated 1809--mid 19th century |
| Architect / builder | Daniel Pratt (attributed, including the Ross House); Peter Clower, David T. Milling, John W. Carrington, James Lockett and Roger McCarthy are named as builders of individual houses |
| Architectural style | Plain style and Plantation Plain houses with Federal and Greek Revival details |
| Areas of significance | Education, Politics/Government, Architecture, Religion, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition rated fair and altered. Some houses are deteriorated or being renovated, the gin works and academy sites have no standing structures, and widening of Georgia Highway 129 is described as a threat. |
| Acreage | 290 |
| Coordinates | 32.99694, -83.55879 (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 74000690.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q30622872
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.