Bank of Jersey
Why it's listed
Built in 1904, the Bank of Jersey is a small one-story brick commercial building at the center of the tiny rural hamlet of Jersey, Walton County, Georgia. Its load-bearing brick walls are laid in running bond and detailed with stone lintels, pilaster-like corner brickwork, a corbeled cornice and a stepped parapet. The windows keep their original metal grilles. The bank was organized by Josiah Blasingame, Sr., a local landholder who was also Jersey's first postmaster and first mayor. It served local farmers and planters until it failed in 1931 during the Depression, after which the building was used for storage until 1981. The interior was then remodeled as a dentist's office, and shutters and a door hood were added. The building was listed for its architecture as a modest rural example of late-Victorian commercial design and for its role in local commerce as the town's only historic bank. It remains a landmark in a community of mostly wood-frame buildings.
Significance in brief: It is significant in architecture as a turn-of-the-century rural commercial building in Walton County and in commerce as the home of Jersey's only historic bank, which operated from 1904 to 1931. Its brick construction and detailing set it apart in a community dominated by wood-frame buildings, and it is one of two historic commercial buildings remaining at the hamlet's center.
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 84001269, listed March 7, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Jersey |
|---|---|
| County | Walton County |
| Listed | March 7, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84001269 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1904 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; interior remodeled in 1981 as a dentist's office. Shutters and a door hood were added in 1981. Condition rated good and altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.71725, -83.79975 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 84001269.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134466009
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.