Lamar, Joseph Rucker, Boyhood Home
Also known as: Phinizy House; Poole's Tourist Home
Why it's listed
This 2 1/2-story brick house at 415 Seventh Street in downtown Augusta was the boyhood home of Joseph Rucker Lamar, who later became a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. It was built as a parsonage for the Christian Church, where Lamar's father served. The house has a front-gable roof, bracketed eaves, a raised front porch with original fluted wood columns and cast-iron Corinthian capitals, and a side-hall plan with two large rooms. Additions were made at the rear and southwest corner, and the interior was subdivided when the building served as a boarding house. Lamar spent part of his childhood here, including the Civil War years. Next door, in the Presbyterian parsonage, lived Thomas Woodrow Wilson, who became his close friend and later President. Lamar joined the Supreme Court in 1911 and died in 1916. The house now operates as a house museum and is one of few remaining residential buildings in its changed downtown surroundings.
Significance in brief: The house was the boyhood home of Joseph Rucker Lamar, who lived there as a child and later served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1911 to 1915. He grew up there next door to future President Woodrow Wilson, and the two boys became close friends in the late 1860s. The house is one of the few residential buildings left in a once-residential area.
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 96000598, listed June 13, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 415 7th St., Augusta |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond County |
| Listed | June 13, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000598 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Law, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is a house museum; exterior materials are described as in good condition and interior finishes in fair to good condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Augusta Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 33.47206, -81.96498 (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 96000598.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16988321
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.