Boneville Historic District
Why it's listed
Boneville is a small rural community about five miles southeast of Thomson, in McDuffie County, Georgia. The historic district covers about 80 acres laid out along the Georgia Railroad, which reached the town in 1837, with Boneville Road running parallel to the tracks. It includes one-story houses of several traditional types, a two-story house built about 1881, two stores (one now the post office), a Methodist church built in 1902 with its cemetery, a one-room school from 1903, and a mill pond. The wood-framed Boneville Mill, dating from about 1845, is large and old for a mill of its kind in Georgia, though it is in poor condition. In the 1930s the pond became Camellia Lake, a popular recreation spot with a bath house and gazebo. The district was listed for its architecture, its railroad strip town plan, and its industrial, educational, recreational and landscape history between about 1845 and 1935.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be locally significant for its collection of late 19th and early 20th century buildings representing common Georgia house and community types. It is also significant as a railroad strip town with the tracks running down the middle of the community. The c.1845 Boneville Mill, the mill pond used for 1930s recreation, and the landscape add significance in industry, education, recreation and landscape architecture.
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 00000072, listed February 10, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Boneville Rd. and the Georgia RR, approx. 5 mi. SE of Thomson, Boneville |
|---|---|
| County | McDuffie County |
| Listed | February 10, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000072 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c.1845-1935 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Folk Victorian; Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Industry, Education, Entertainment/Recreation, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most dwellings are occupied and the post office still operates. The Boneville Mill is in very poor condition and has not operated since a 1941 flood. The Smith-Hunt-Doughty House has been unoccupied for about thirty years but has been stabilized. |
| Acreage | 80 |
| Coordinates | 33.43228, -82.43621 (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 00000072.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q116465325
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.