Paoli Historic District
Why it's listed
Paoli is a small crossroads community in rural Madison County, Georgia, northeast of Comer. Scotch-Irish settlers from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, founded it in 1788 and named it after the Pennsylvania community they had left. The district holds 26 contributing resources, including farmhouses with barns and fields, a c.1840-50 cotton warehouse, the c.1910 Threlkeld Grocery, the c.1890 Paoli School, and the brick New Hope Presbyterian Church built in the late 1920s as the fourth church on its site. Two cemeteries are included, and the New Hope Cemetery has gravestones dating to 1788. Houses are mostly vernacular, with some Greek Revival and Folk Victorian details. The district was listed for its early settlement history and for intact examples of architecture, agriculture, commerce and education typical of rural Georgia. Little new investment came after the cotton decline of the mid-1920s and the Depression, so the setting has changed little. The period of significance runs from 1788 to 1930.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for its early settlement by Scotch-Irish families from Paoli, Pennsylvania, and as an especially early example of a Georgia crossroads community. It also has intact farmsteads, vernacular houses with Greek Revival and Folk Victorian elements, a rare country store and a rare country school. It was listed under Criteria A and C at the local level.
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 02000094, listed March 1, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Cty Rd. 334 amd Cty Rd. 331, Paoli |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | March 1, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000094 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1788-1930 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival; Late Victorian/Victorian; vernacular types including Georgian house, Georgian cottage, I-house, hall-parlor, double-pen and shotgun |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture, Commerce, Community Planning and Development, Education, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The New Hope Presbyterian Church is still in use, and current functions include single dwellings, secondary structures, church and cemetery. The community is described as relatively unchanged from its early 20th century appearance. |
| Acreage | 100 |
| Coordinates | 34.09229, -83.09401 (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 02000094.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q141779774
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.