Gartrell Family House
Also known as: Joseph Gartrell House; Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell House
Why it's listed
Built around 1830 in southeast rural Wilkes County, Georgia, this raised Georgian cottage is a one-story, nearly square house with a four-room central-hall plan, a low hipped roof and a hand-hewn, mortised-and-tenoned timber frame. Its Greek Revival character shows in the symmetrical windows, simple woodwork, trabeated front doorway and mantels. After sitting abandoned for about twenty-five years, it was moved in two sections to northern Wilkes County in 1995 to save it from demolition. The roof and chimneys were rebuilt with original materials, the house was set on a new raised basement, and a small rear addition holds the bathrooms and utilities. It was listed for its architecture: raised Georgian cottages make up far less than one percent of surveyed Georgia houses, and few houses of any type predate 1830. Joseph Gartrell is believed to have built it, and his son Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell, a lawyer and congressman, later lived there. Gartrell descendants occupied it until about 1970.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare, early and highly intact rural example of the raised Georgian cottage type, which may be the only surviving example in Wilkes County. It also shows a vernacular expression of Greek Revival style and retains original hand-crafted materials. It is also tied to the Gartrell family, including Confederate congressman Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell.
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 02000629, listed June 14, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 854 Boyd Rd., Tignall |
|---|---|
| County | Wilkes County |
| Listed | June 14, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000629 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1830 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival; Other: Raised Georgian Cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a single dwelling; moved in 1995 and rehabilitated under state-certified standards, with a small rear addition and a new raised basement. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 33.92456, -82.77307 (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 02000629.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134466955
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.