Smith-Alston House
Also known as: Alston House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built in 1857, this one-story Greek Revival cottage in Richland, Georgia, measures thirty-one feet square and sits under a hipped roof. Its three-bay facade has two front doors, each opening into a separate room, separated by pilasters topped with wooden keystones. The interior has five rooms and intact woodwork with flush paneled walls. Tradition holds that it was built for Dr. Jubilee Smith, a doctor, druggist, minister and Civil War company commander. Dr. Nathaniel C. Alston bought it in 1870, and it stayed in his family until the mid-1950s. His son, N.C. Alston, Jr., known as the "Pecan King of Southwest Georgia," is credited with introducing the pecan industry to Stewart County. About two acres of his pecan grove are part of the nominated land. The double-door design and five-room plan are unusual for Georgia Greek Revival houses, which generally had single entrances and four rooms. The house is attributed to carpenter James Oxford.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues significance in architecture, agriculture and local history. The house is unusual locally for its two front doors with keystone decoration and its five-room plan. Its owners, Dr. Jubilee Smith and the Alston family, contributed to Richland through religion, medicine and agriculture, notably N.C. Alston, Jr.'s role in introducing the pecan industry to Stewart County.
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 80001235, listed June 20, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 405 Ponder St., Richland |
|---|---|
| County | Stewart County |
| Listed | June 20, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001235 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific date 1857) |
| Architect / builder | James Oxford (?) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; undergoing renovation with a room being added to the east at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 3.2 |
| Within district | Richland Historic District |
| Coordinates | 32.09415, -84.66152 (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 80001235.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134457431
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.