Carter, Leonard, House
Why it's listed
Built between about 1902 and 1904 in Jesup, Georgia, the Leonard Carter House is a 2 1/2 story frame residence combining Queen Anne and Neoclassical Revival styling. It has an asymmetrical form, a turret, a wrap-around porch with a gazebo corner, corbeled brick chimneys, fishscale shingles, Ionic columns and stained glass transoms. Inside are eight tiled fireplaces, heart-motif fretwork chosen because the house was a gift for Carter's second wife, and an oak staircase. Carter, a banker and civic leader, built it for about $10,000, and it was the first house in the county with indoor plumbing and electric lights. The plans, by architect Henry M. Ward, came from a mail-order firm, a practice common in small southern towns. The grounds keep an original cast-iron fence, a concrete hitching post marked Carter, a brick greenhouse and informal Victorian plantings. It was listed for architecture and landscape architecture.
Significance in brief: The house is a fine, if late, example of Queen Anne architecture mixed with Neoclassical Revival elements, with detailed interior craftsmanship. It is also a documented Georgia example of a mail-order house plan by architect Henry M. Ward. Its informal Victorian-era landscaping, original cast-iron fence and hitching post add significance in landscape architecture.
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 89001212, listed August 31, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 311 S. Wayne St., Jesup |
|---|---|
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | August 31, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001212 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1902-1904 |
| Architect / builder | Henry M. Ward |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne (with Neoclassical Revival features) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a single dwelling after being converted to apartments in 1925 and returned to a single-family home in 1948. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.60047, -81.88213 (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 89001212.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q42377519
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.