Powell, William E. and Sarah Dillard, House
Also known as: Boxwood Terrace
Why it's listed
Built around 1882 on the edge of Dillard, Georgia, this two-story weatherboard house began as a simple I-house with a central hall and grew into a 19-room boarding house. Additions around 1890 and 1900 brought guest bedrooms with private porch doors, a large dining room and a kitchen, and two bathrooms were added around 1940. The house has no academic style, but its varied windows, foundations and porches record each phase of change. Sarah Dillard Powell and her husband William E. Powell, a farmer, lived here, and she ran the boarding house from about 1890 until 1962. Her daughter Frances continued it until 1973. The house is tied to the arrival of the railroad and the rise of Rabun County as a summer destination for travelers. Boxwood hedges, a stone wall, mature trees and a small well house remain on the roughly one-acre lot, which is the remnant of the former farm.
Significance in brief: It is significant locally as an early boarding house of the late 19th and early 20th century resort era, made possible by the arrival of the railroad. Its additions show the shift from farmhouse to large guest accommodation. It is tied to the Dillard and Powell families and to Sarah Dillard Powell, who ran the boarding house from c.1890 to 1962.
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 07001337, listed January 2, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 219 Boxwood Terrace, Dillard |
|---|---|
| County | Rabun County |
| Listed | January 2, 2008 |
| Reference number | 07001337 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1882-1957 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | OTHER: I-house |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Social History, Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture, Other |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed under current function 'work in progress'; the owners began interior rehabilitation preparation but did not complete it, and the yard was recently untended. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 34.97261, -83.38231 (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 07001337.
- 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.