Champion-McGarrah Plantation
Also known as: Merritt Farm
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Why it's listed
Near Friendship in Marion County, Georgia, this plantation preserves the original core of an antebellum farm. Its centerpiece is a one-story, wood-framed Greek Revival house built around 1840, with a central hall, a recessed front porch with simple wooden columns, and a front door framed by sidelights and a transom. Two small front bedrooms, reached only from the porch, were known as travellers rooms. The house reflects the move from the open-breezeway dogtrot to a square, central-hall plan. Across the road stand seven frame tenant houses built between 1870 and 1920, along with barns, smokehouses, cribs and sheds, some dating to antebellum times. Together they document how a Georgia cotton and corn plantation operated, at its peak across 1,300 acres. George M. Champion, the builder and original owner, helped move the county seat to Buena Vista and served as a local justice. After his death in 1871 the farm passed to his grandson Moses McGarrah, and in 1913 to the Merritt family.
Significance in brief: The main house is a good example of a simple rural Georgia plantation home reflecting the shift from the dogtrot to a square, central-hall plan, with Greek Revival details. The surviving tenant houses and outbuildings are a relatively rare group documenting nineteenth-century plantation building types and techniques. It is also one of the oldest plantations in an area opened for settlement in 1827.
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 84001156, listed June 28, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Off GA 30, Friendship |
|---|---|
| County | Marion County |
| Listed | June 28, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84001156 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1840-1920 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in good condition and used for agriculture and as a private residence; no major changes have been made, though the breezeway has been enclosed and some fireplaces closed. |
| Acreage | 20.5 |
| Coordinates | 32.16250, -84.45315 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 84001156.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q106999475
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.