Lines, Samuel Shepard, House
Why it's listed
Northeast of Sylvania in Screven County, Georgia, this one-story wooden raised cottage was built around 1857-60 by Samuel Shephard Lines, who moved from coastal Georgia and ran a 1,500-acre self-sufficient plantation from the house. It follows the Plantation Plain or Low Country style, with a broad front porch, a central hall and a raised floor that aided ventilation. Construction relied on local materials, including heart pine, hand-hewn timbers and handmade brick piers and chimneys. The lot keeps cedars and magnolias planted around 1860, fruit trees, a grape arbor, an original kitchen and a dairy shed. A one-room public school once stood in the front yard, where Nannie Brown Lines taught for more than 35 years. In December 1864, Union General Jefferson C. Davis stayed at the house during Sherman's march, while troops foraged nearby. The house has remained in the same family.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a good example of a late antebellum Plantation Plain or Low Country style raised cottage, built with locally produced materials. It also retains mid-19th century plantings, housed the first public school in northern Screven County, and hosted Union General Jefferson C. Davis on December 4-5, 1864, during Sherman's March to the Sea.
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 83000240, listed July 14, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NE of Sylvania, Sylvania |
|---|---|
| County | Screven County |
| Listed | July 14, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000240 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1857-60 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Plantation Plain or Low Country style raised cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residence in good condition, still held by the Lines family; the schoolhouse is gone and the original kitchen was converted to a smokehouse. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.93762, -81.59544 (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 83000240.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q40888761
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.