Madden, Charles, House
Also known as: Madden--Smith House
Why it's listed
Built in 1899 at 302 East South Central Street in Tennille, this one-and-one-half story frame house was designed by architect Charles E. Choate for Charles Madden, a Black mail agent on the Washington and Tennille Railroad. The house has a multi-gabled and hipped roof, a three-sided bay window, and a front porch with paired Doric columns and arched panels between the supports. Choate's characteristic "harp" brackets appear beneath the front gable. Inside, three main rooms are arranged without a central hall, following the Queen Anne vernacular type common in Georgia around 1900. Aluminum siding covers the original wood siding but follows its pattern and has not hidden the detailing. The house was listed for its architecture. It is among Choate's early residential designs, the smallest he produced in the Sandersville-Tennille area, and the only documented one for a Black client. It reflects his work in a simpler, vernacular form. The house remains a single-family home on its original lot.
Significance in brief: It is one of Choate's early residential works in Washington County and his smallest house in the Sandersville-Tennille area. It is a well-preserved example of the Queen Anne vernacular house type with an intact plan and massing. It is also the only documented Choate commission for a Black client.
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 94000713, listed July 28, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 302 E. South Central St., Tennille |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | July 28, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000713 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1899 |
| Architect / builder | Charles E. Choate, architect |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; aluminum siding covers the original wood siding, and the form says the owner was removing it to restore the wood. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.93677, -82.80784 (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 94000713.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q65079332
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.