Hayes Line Historic District
Why it's listed
Hayes Line is a small rural community just west of Thomson, Georgia, built around a farm started in 1915 by J. Matthew Hayes. Hayes, a white merchant, built his own house and then a row of modest dwellings for African-American sharecroppers and tenant farmers who worked his land, growing cotton, corn, peas and potatoes. The farm operated until the early 1950s. Eleven historic houses survive, mostly one-story wood-frame tenant houses built between about 1920 and 1930 in hall-parlor, side-gabled, central-hallway and shotgun forms. The oldest building, the Hayes House, began as a single-pen cottage and was later enlarged into a side-gabled bungalow with Craftsman details such as overhanging eaves and decorative gable brackets. The district was listed for its association with tenant farming and African-American history, and for its well-preserved collection of early twentieth-century rural houses. Many similar tenant complexes elsewhere in Georgia have been lost, and the houses here are still lived in.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be significant for its link to sharecropping and tenant farming in Georgia, and to African-American history, since Hayes, who was white, built houses for his Black sharecroppers and tenant farmers. It is also cited as a rare surviving tenant farm complex. Its houses are excellent examples of hall-parlor, side-gabled cottage, shotgun and Craftsman bungalow types.
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 00000106, listed February 18, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Twin Oaks Rd. and GA 233, Thomson |
|---|---|
| County | McDuffie County |
| Listed | February 18, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000106 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1915 to 1930 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements/Craftsman; other types: hall-parlor, shotgun, bungalow, side-gabled cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Continues to function as a residential community; the historic tenant houses owned by the Hayes family are occupied, and the district retains a high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 65 |
| Coordinates | 33.46955, -82.52033 (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 00000106.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q141779802
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.