Harris-Murrow-Trowell House
Why it's listed
This T-shaped, balloon-frame cottage on Old Louisville Road in Oliver, Georgia, dates to about 1888-1889. It has a standing-seam gable roof, clapboard siding, six-over-six wood windows, a brick pier foundation and a partial-width hip porch with square Doric columns. Inside, beadboard walls and ceilings, paneled doors and simple mantels survive. A small side-gable tenant house, probably from the 1930s, was later attached to the back. The house was built soon after the 1885 subdivision of Lufburrow family land created the village along the Central of Georgia Railroad. Deed records show Mrs. John T. Harris bought the lot in 1888 and sold it with a dwelling to Julia Murrow in 1889. Ivey Trowell, a schoolteacher, owned it from 1927 to 1969. It was listed for its local architectural significance as a well-preserved example of a gabled wing cottage, a house type common across Georgia between 1875 and 1915. It is still a dwelling today.
Significance in brief: The house has local significance in architecture as a good example of a gabled wing cottage, a common Georgia house type built between 1875 and 1915. It was one of the first houses built in Oliver after the village was laid out in 1885 along the Central of Georgia Railroad. Apart from the rear addition, it keeps its original configuration and much of its historic exterior and interior finishes.
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 09000187, listed March 30, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 473 Old Louisville Rd., Oliver |
|---|---|
| County | Screven County |
| Listed | March 30, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000187 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1888-1889 |
| Architectural style | OTHER: Gabled wing cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; recently rehabilitated as a rental property with Georgia state tax incentives. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.51783, -81.53035 (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 09000187.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q30622040
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.