Ashland Farm
Why it's listed
Ashland Farm is a two-story brick country house built in 1905 on a wooded hilltop southwest of Rossville, Georgia. Atlanta architect W. T. Downing designed it in the neo-classical revival style for Z. Cartter Patten, a Civil War veteran, newspaper publisher and Chattanooga business founder. A portico with twelve fluted Corinthian columns surrounds a projecting central section, and the rust-colored St. Louis brick gives the walls a very smooth surface. Inside, a wide central hall leads to a drawing room, library, dining room and sun room, which has art nouveau transom glass. The grounds hold two brick servants' cottages, a brick barn, a mill, a gas house, a wagon shelter, a boxwood garden and a sunken garden. The Biltmore Nurseries of the Vanderbilt Estate carried out much of the original landscaping. The property was recognized for blending Jeffersonian classical forms with a more open, modern plan.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as an example of early 20th century neo-classical revival, expressing the new commercial wealth of its era and modern reinterpretations of traditional styles. It combines Jeffersonian and Palladian features with a more open plan and more windows. Its original landscaping involved the Biltmore Nurseries of the Vanderbilt Estate, and it was built for Z. Cartter Patten, a Chattanooga businessman.
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 73000646, listed October 18, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SW of Rossville off GA 193, Rossville |
|---|---|
| County | Walker County |
| Listed | October 18, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000646 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century (specific date 1905) |
| Architect / builder | W. T. (Walter T.) Downing, FAIA, of Atlanta, architect; Z. Cartter Patten, original owner and builder |
| Architectural style | Neo-classical revival |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition, unaltered and on its original site; occupied and used as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 96 |
| Coordinates | 34.95465, -85.34593 (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 73000646.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q29093365
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.