Colonsay Plantation
Why it's listed
Colonsay Plantation, near Crawfordsville in Taliaferro County, Georgia, is a two-story pine farmhouse built around 1789 by Marmaduke Mendenhall, a Quaker who left North Carolina and received land on the Ceded Lands in the fork of Little River and Williams Creek. The weatherboard exterior has never been painted, and the original room has dark, oiled virgin pine panelling with a small circular stair beside the fireplace. Quaker meetings were held here in the late 1780s and early 1790s, according to the journals of two travelling ministers. Charles R. Carter added a wing around 1820, and later owners kept the land as a working farm, growing cotton and corn and later raising cattle and sheep. The property was named Colonsay in 1923. It is regarded as the only identifiable Quaker-built house in Georgia, and two archaeological sites on the grounds include Late Mississippi Period pottery.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the only surviving identifiable house built by a Quaker in Georgia and one of the state's oldest residences. It hosted Quaker meetings in the late 1780s and early 1790s, documented in the journals of two travelling Friends ministers. It has also remained a working farm and retains two archaeological sites.
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 74000703, listed November 21, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | ENE of Crawfordville off SR 908, Crawfordville |
|---|---|
| County | Taliaferro County |
| Listed | November 21, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000703 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1789 (18th and 19th centuries) |
| Architect / builder | Marmaduke Mendenhall (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition, altered, on its original site, and used as a private residence and for agriculture; preserved nearly intact with 540 acres. |
| Acreage | 540 |
| Coordinates | 33.59943, -82.69723 (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 74000703.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5148476
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.