Raburn-Casteel House
Why it's listed
Four miles north of Blairsville, in Union County, Georgia, a white weatherboard farmhouse conceals a log house built around 1885 by Hodge Raburn. Half-dovetail notched logs survive beneath the siding of the original hall-parlor section. A single-pen log ell with saddle notching was added between about 1885 and 1913, followed by a wood-framed hall-parlor addition in 1913 built by carpenter Andy Colwell, and an enclosed garage in 1920. Together the sections read as one house under a metal roof. The property is valued as a clear example of a vernacular home expanded as family needs changed, and for its rare pairing of two log notching types. It also reflects early rural medicine. Dr. William J. Casteel, among the first licensed physicians serving this northern part of the county, treated patients in the log rooms and lived in the 1913 section. The 1913 addition has three front doors to accommodate his practice. He practiced there until his death in 1939.
Significance in brief: The house is significant in architecture as an excellent, well-documented example of a vernacular building altered over time to suit changing family needs, and it includes two types of log notching that are rare among surveyed Georgia resources. It is also significant in medicine because two physicians treated patients there, including Dr. William J. Casteel, who practiced there until his death in 1939.
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 01001181, listed October 26, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | US 129, 4 mi. N. of Blairsville, Blairsville |
|---|---|
| County | Union County |
| Listed | October 26, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01001181 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1885-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Hodge Raburn; Andy Colwell |
| Architectural style | Other: Hall-Parlor; Other: Single-Pen |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Health/Medicine |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-dwelling residence; the form lists current function as domestic. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 34.90822, -84.00996 (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 01001181.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q29093158
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.