McLemore Cove Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Richard Lane House; Miller Brothers Farm
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
McLemore Cove is a V-shaped valley in Walker County, Georgia, about three miles south of Chickamauga, enclosed by Lookout Mountain on the west and Pigeon Mountain on the east. The historic district covers roughly 50,000 acres of farmland, creeks, hardwood slopes and small communities such as Kensington, Cedar Grove, Pond Spring and Cooper Heights. Most buildings are farm-related: crib barns, smokehouses, corncribs, and wood-framed farmhouses on limestone foundations, ranging from dogtrots and I-houses to Folk Victorian and Queen Anne designs. The valley takes its name from a Cherokee/Scottish family who settled in the 1820s, opened to white settlement by the 1832 land lottery, and it figured in events before the Battle of Chickamauga. The Chattanooga Southern Railroad, completed in 1890, spurred new growth and iron ore mining. The area retains outstanding rural vistas and is described as one of the most intact rural landscapes in Georgia.
Significance in brief: The district is described as one of the most intact rural landscapes remaining in Georgia, with a wide range of late 19th and early 20th century farmhouses, barns, fields, churches, schools and cemeteries. It also reflects Civil War events before the Battle of Chickamauga, growth after the Chattanooga Southern Railroad arrived in 1887, and early 20th-century iron ore mining.
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 94001140, listed September 23, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3 mi. S of Chickamauga, in an area roughly bounded by Lookout and Pigeon Mtns., and GA 136, Kensington |
|---|---|
| County | Walker County |
| Listed | September 23, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001140 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | George Cornish (local brick mason, J. C. Morgan House, 1884) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Gothic, Queen Anne; Other: I-House, Plantation Plain, Central Hallway Cottage, Gabled Ell Cottage, Bungalow, Queen Anne Cottage, Saddlebag, Double-Pen, New South Cottage, Folk Victorian, Hall-Parlor, Temple Front Cottage |
| Areas of significance | Prehistoric, Transportation, Religion, Military, Landscape Architecture, Industry, Education, Commerce, Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still largely rural and agricultural with active farms; the form says the area retains a high degree of integrity except for a few areas of recent development. |
| Acreage | 50141 |
| Coordinates | 34.70004, -85.40790 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 94001140.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q29093347
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.