Crawford Depot
Why it's listed
Built around 1848 by the Georgia Railroad Company, this one-story granite depot in Crawford, Georgia, measures 41 by 91 feet and has two-foot-thick stone walls. Inside are two identical waiting rooms, a ticket office and a large baggage room with an exposed trussed ceiling and sliding doors to loading platforms. The stone came from Lithonia, and local tradition holds that the original railroad crossties were reused in the walls. Crawford grew up with the Athens branch of the railroad, begun in 1841, and the depot linked the town to markets in Augusta and Savannah. During the Civil War it served as a major storage and shipping point for Confederate supplies. It is described as the last remaining stone depot built by the Georgia Railroad Company. At the time of listing, the local Chamber of Commerce had sublet the property and planned to restore it as a community center with offices, kitchen facilities and a multi-purpose room.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an outstanding mid-nineteenth century granite structure and an important part of the communication and transportation link between Georgia's Upper Piedmont towns and larger markets. It is described as the last remaining stone depot built by the Georgia Railroad Company. It also served as a storage and shipping center for Confederate Army supplies during the Civil War.
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 77000441, listed May 27, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | U.S. 78, Crawford |
|---|---|
| County | Oglethorpe County |
| Listed | May 27, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000441 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1848 |
| Architect / builder | Georgia Railroad Company |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rated in good condition; unoccupied and undergoing work. Sublet to the county Chamber of Commerce, which plans to restore it as a community center. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 33.88265, -83.15611 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 77000441.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16952525
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.