Wimberly Plantation
Why it's listed
Wimberly Plantation occupies roughly 496 acres along Georgia Highway 96 southwest of Jeffersonville in Twiggs County. Its centerpiece is Gleesom Hall, a two-story wood-framed Greek Revival house built about 1845, with a two-story portico on six square paneled columns. A schoolhouse wing and a kitchen wing are attached at the rear. Nearby stand a brick smokehouse, a fieldstone and wood dairy, a wellhouse, 1930s water and garage structures, a family cemetery and a turn-of-the-century tenant house. Hardy Durham, the county's second largest landholder, built the house as a wedding present for his daughter Caroline and her husband, Dr. Henry Slappey Wimberly, and the plantation grew cotton alongside Durham's own holdings. The house is attributed to a "Mr. Sessions of Virginia." The property was listed for its architecture, agriculture, ridge-top plantation siting, local history and the archaeological potential of known outbuilding sites, including a barn, cook's house and dovecote.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Gleesom Hall is an excellent example of carpenter Greek Revival architecture in Middle Georgia and one of only two such large houses remaining in Twiggs County. The plantation was one of the earliest and largest cotton plantations in the county, built by Hardy Durham for his daughter and her husband. Its ridge-top siting, its association with Durham, and the potential of three outbuilding sites to yield archaeological data add to its significance.
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 82002493, listed June 17, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jeffersonville Rd., GA 96, Jeffersonville |
|---|---|
| County | Twiggs County |
| Listed | June 17, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002493 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Attributed to "Mr. Sessions of Virginia" |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (carpenter Greek Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture, Social History, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied; the form notes the property is altered, and the surrounding land has reverted largely to scrub pine and hardwood with a few agricultural plots remaining. |
| Acreage | 496 |
| Coordinates | 32.63197, -83.37120 (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 82002493.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107002169
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.