Hillman-Bowden House
Also known as: Pylant Place
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Set on a lawn shaded by oak and pecan trees about three miles west of Thomson, this two-story frame house was built around 1860 by Josephus Hillman, a cotton planter who relied on enslaved labor and was among the wealthiest residents of the area. A temple-front portico with four colossal Doric columns dominates the facade, and the interior follows a Georgian plan with four rooms divided by a wide center hall. Italianate brackets and scalloped bargeboard add a vernacular touch to the classical form. Original grained doors, mantels and moldings survive inside. Later owners included Felix Brown, the Pylant brothers, William K. Miller and banker Paul A. Bowden. In the early 1950s his daughter, Lucille Bowden Johnson, added plumbing, electricity and a historic scenic wallpaper mural. The house was listed as an excellent example of antebellum Greek Revival architecture in Georgia, with its rural setting and original materials largely intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an outstanding and excellent antebellum example of Greek Revival architecture in Georgia, where relatively few such houses were built on rural plantations. Its Doric temple-front portico and Georgian plan are characteristic, and Italianate brackets and bargeboard give it a vernacular interpretation of the style. It also retains a high level of integrity.
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 02001259, listed November 1, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1348 Pyland Crossing Rd., Thomson |
|---|---|
| County | McDuffie County |
| Listed | November 1, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02001259 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1860-c.1951 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as social: civic; the property was conveyed to the Wrightsboro Quaker Community Foundation after 1994. A small hunting cabin on the property is noncontributing. |
| Acreage | 15 |
| Coordinates | 33.43746, -82.55549 (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 02001259.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134390657
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.