Cedar Lane Farm
Also known as: Hilsabeck-Richardson House
Why it's listed
Cedar Lane Farm is a heart pine farmhouse near Madison in Morgan County, Georgia, built around 1839 by Henry Hilsabeck. Hilsabeck was the son of a German immigrant who settled in the Moravian region of North Carolina, and he came to Georgia after the Revolution and bought Morgan County land in 1812. The two-story weatherboarded house follows the plantation plain style with Greek Revival details. It has a central hall, interior walls sheathed in wide horizontal boards, and four chimneys of fieldstone topped with brick. It survived without significant alteration, which was unusual for houses of its type. It is described as typical of the home of a mid-sized farmer rather than a large planter. A restoration in the 1960s copied missing doors and moldings instead of substituting old ones. The surrounding acreage was terraced and planted with nursery stock, a spring was dammed to form a lake for irrigation, and the gardens feature plants known in Georgia before 1850.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a little-altered example of the plantation plain style found in the Georgia piedmont. It typifies the home of the mid-sized farmer owning 200 to 500 acres and fewer than 25 slaves, who is argued to be more representative of the early to mid-19th century South than the large planter. The farm is also noted for its restoration and soil and landscape conservation.
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 71000281, listed February 24, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N of Madison off GA 83, Madison |
|---|---|
| County | Morgan County |
| Listed | February 24, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000281 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Henry Hilsabeck |
| Architectural style | Plantation plain style with Greek Revival details |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as excellent. The house was restored in the 1960s, and the farm is used for agriculture, commerce (nursery stock) and as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.65845, -83.51489 (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 71000281.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.