Martin Historic District
Why it's listed
Martin is a small railroad town in Stephens County, in northeast Georgia, and this district of roughly 100 acres preserves its historic center along the rail line and Georgia Highway 17. The town began in 1877 with construction of a depot where the Air Line Railroad crossed the Red Hollow Road, and it was incorporated in 1891. Cotton from surrounding farms was shipped from here, and a cotton gin and a cotton seed oil company once operated in town. One-story brick commercial buildings from the 1890s, with corbeled cornices and wooden storefronts, line the main road. Around them are Queen Anne, Neoclassical Revival, Colonial Revival and Craftsman houses, a 1902 brick school built as the Martin Institute, and a historic cemetery. The district contains 42 contributing and 23 noncontributing resources, and its period of significance runs from 1877 to 1944.
Significance in brief: The district shows how a railroad strip community grew around a depot built in 1877 at the crossing of the Air Line Railroad and the Red Hollow Road. It is significant for its role in shipping cotton by rail, and for its intact commercial, residential and community architecture from the late 19th to mid-20th century.
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 95000825, listed July 7, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Along both sides of GA 17 and the Norfolk Southern RR tracks, Martin |
|---|---|
| County | Stephens County |
| Listed | July 7, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000825 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1877-1944 |
| Architect / builder | Wilburn, Leila Ross (pattern book) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Queen Anne; Colonial Revival/Classical Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman; Folk Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce, Community Planning and Development, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The 1902 school building is now used as a community center; the district still includes the rail line, depot, shops, houses and cemetery. |
| Acreage | 100 |
| Coordinates | 34.48611, -83.18508 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 95000825.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q141808633
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.