Chickamauga Lodge No. 221, Free and Accepted Masons, Prince Hall Affiliate
Also known as: Chickamauga Masonic Lodge No. 221
Why it's listed
Chickamauga Lodge No. 221 is a two-story, wood-frame Masonic hall on Highway 341 South in Walker County, Georgia. Members of the African-American lodge built it themselves between 1921 and 1924, and it has been used for lodge purposes ever since. A meeting room on the second floor, reached by a separate outside stair, keeps its 1924 floor and original handcrafted wooden stations for the lodge officers. The exterior was covered with red rolled asphalt siding in 1952, when plumbing and heating were added. The lodge was founded about 1915-1916 and first met in the nearby District Hill School. The hall also hosted an African-American Veterans of Foreign Wars camp in the 1940s and an Order of the Eastern Star chapter chartered in 1944. Lodge members supplied labor for local schools and churches and helped needy children and widows during the segregation era. It is the only surviving African-American lodge hall in the county.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a good, intact example of a member-built 1920s lodge, with its second-floor meeting room and original handcrafted officers' stations. It is also the only remaining African-American lodge hall in Walker County and served the community's fraternal, veteran and civic groups.
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 06000736, listed August 30, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1378 GA 341 S, Chickamauga |
|---|---|
| County | Walker County |
| Listed | August 30, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000736 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924-1956 |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Black, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a meeting hall; the form notes the building leans slightly because of foundation deterioration. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 34.85684, -85.30519 (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 06000736.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5096184
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.