High Shoals Historic District
Why it's listed
High Shoals is a river community on the Apalachee River, 14 miles southwest of Athens, where Oconee, Morgan and Walton counties meet. The settlement grew around a natural river crossing at the shoals, and from 1846 the High Shoals Manufacturing Company used the river's power to run a textile mill. Fire destroyed the mill in 1928, though foundations, mill races and two dams remain. The district includes farmhouses, about a dozen mill houses, many built as duplexes, two 19th-century churches with cemeteries, a school moved and rebuilt in 1930-1931, a concrete silo from a dairy farm, and postwar ranch houses. Most buildings are vernacular, with Folk Victorian details and some Greek Revival, Queen Anne and Craftsman influence. The district was recognized for its crossroads plan, which follows the steep river valley, and for architecture typical of Georgia's farming and mill towns. Its period of significance runs from the 1869 Baptist church to 1956.
Significance in brief: The district is significant under Criterion A for community planning and development, as a mill and crossroads community whose irregular plan follows the river topography. Under Criterion C it is significant for architecture, since its houses, churches and mill houses represent building types typical of Georgia's agricultural and mill communities in the 19th and 20th centuries.
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 06000958, listed October 26, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Centered on GA 186, and banks of the Apalachee R, North High Shoals |
|---|---|
| County | Oconee County |
| Listed | October 26, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000958 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1869-1956 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, and vernacular house types (saddlebag, central-hall, Georgian-plan, gabled-ell, ranch) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current uses include single and multiple dwellings, churches, cemeteries and city hall; the textile mill was destroyed by fire in 1928 and only foundations and mill race elements survive. |
| Acreage | 260 |
| Coordinates | 33.81540, -83.51076 (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 06000958.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q141798107
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.