Cassel's Store
Why it's listed
Cassels' Store is a two-and-one-half-story brick commercial building erected in 1887 in the small rural community of McIntosh, Liberty County, Georgia. Built of loadbearing brick, it has segmentally arched windows, corbelled string courses and cornice, chimney piers rising up the five-bay front, and star-shaped tie rods. Its elaborate detailing and brick construction were unusual in a remote area where comparable buildings were usually frame. Robert Q. Cassels, a local businessman, built and owned the store beside the railroad. It stocked groceries, farm equipment, furniture, stoves, clothing and dry goods, offered cotton ginning, and housed the community post office on the first floor. Farmers traveled from a wide region several times a year to sell goods and buy supplies, often camping around the building. The store operated into the mid-twentieth century. It is now vacant and deteriorated, but it remains one of the few historic structures left in McIntosh, and it was recognized for its architecture and its role in rural commerce.
Significance in brief: The store is argued to be an unusually large and fine example of late nineteenth century rural commercial architecture in Georgia, with elaborate detailing and brick construction unusual for an area of mostly frame buildings. It is also a good example of the rural general store that served farmers and planters across a wide region. It meets criteria A and C.
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 83000232, listed August 5, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Off U.S. 82, McIntosh |
|---|---|
| County | Liberty County |
| Listed | August 5, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000232 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built and owned by Robert Q. Cassels) |
| Architectural style | Late-Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant and unoccupied, in deteriorated condition, with plaster crumbling and badly rotted floors and ceiling boards; the grounds are heavily overgrown. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 31.82653, -81.52902 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 83000232.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q97280912
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.