Davis-Edwards House
Also known as: Edwards House; Davis House
Why it's listed
Located at 238 North Broad Street in Monroe, this two-story frame house dates to about 1830 and shows plantation-plain design with simple Greek Revival features. It has an L-shaped plan, a central hall with a staircase, almost square rooms, chimneys on the exterior, and a pedimented gable treatment. Two brick outbuildings remain, including a probable kitchen. The house was altered around 1880 and again in 1930, and a later front porch with wing extensions changed its facade. Its builder and date are not documented, but the architectural details point to the 1830s, and Benjamin Hammock, who owned the property then and built the first Walton County Courthouse, is the likely builder. Later owners included Josiah Clark, Charles D. Davis, a lawyer and Georgia politician, and the Edwards family, who lived there until 1969. At the time of nomination the house stood unoccupied and deteriorated, and the Historical Society of Walton County was restoring it as a museum and historical center.
Significance in brief: The house is significant as an example of Greek Revival architecture in Georgia, with details comparable to other houses in the area built in the 1830s. It was probably built by Benjamin Hammock, builder of the first Walton County Courthouse, and later belonged to prominent local citizens including lawyer and politician Charles D. Davis.
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 73000648, listed August 14, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 238 N. Broad St., Monroe |
|---|---|
| County | Walton County |
| Listed | August 14, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000648 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date c. 1830) |
| Architect / builder | Probably Benjamin Hammock (builder, not documented) |
| Architectural style | Plantation-plain with simple Greek Revival features |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied and somewhat deteriorated at the time of nomination; being restored by the Historical Society of Walton County for use as a museum and historical center. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | North Broad Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 33.79726, -83.71316 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 73000648.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134466037
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.