Blunt, Ainsworth E., House
Also known as: Blunt House
Why it's listed
Built in 1848 in Dalton, Georgia, this two-story house is a Federal-style home with a symmetrical front, a central stair hall, and thin columns on a two-story portico. Interior end chimneys are unusual for northwest Georgia, and the house shows how slowly architectural fashions reached the region while Greek Revival was spreading elsewhere in the state. Late in the nineteenth century, Lillie Blunt Kirby added a Victorian rear wing with dark woodwork to house her family of six. Ainsworth E. Blunt, a New Hampshire native who had worked at the Cherokee mission at Brainerd, Tennessee, built the house. He became Dalton's first postmaster and a mayor, and he helped found the First Presbyterian Church. In 1864 Confederate officers, including General Joseph Johnston, used the house as a temporary headquarters, and Union troops later used it as a field hospital. It stayed in the family until 1978, when it passed to the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society. The original four-acre lot is now under one acre.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as an excellent local example of the Federal style, showing how slowly architectural styles reached remote parts of Georgia, and it is one of the oldest houses in Dalton. During the Civil War it served as a temporary Confederate headquarters and a Union field hospital. Its builder, Ainsworth E. Blunt, was a pioneer settler, Dalton's first postmaster and a mayor, and helped found the First Presbyterian Church.
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 80004460, listed July 9, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 506 S. Thornton Ave., Dalton |
|---|---|
| County | Whitfield County |
| Listed | July 9, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004460 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Federal, with Victorian additions and some Greek Revival detailing |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant at the time of nomination. The house was willed to the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society for preservation, and the lot has shrunk from four acres to under one acre. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Thornton Avenue-Murray Hill Historic District |
| Coordinates | 34.76666, -84.97184 (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 80004460.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q406124
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.