The historic buildings of Athens-Clarke County are all around us. We walk and drive by them every day, perhaps admiring their architectural beauty or making note of any recent changes. But do we know their history? At the Heritage Room, we decided we could benefit by creating a handy list of Athens’ historic sites, with links to online resources that could fill in whatever “blanks” we have about these places that help make our city and county special.
First, the web site for the National Register of Historic Places offers a wealth of information about local neighborhoods, buildings, and sites, namely in the Nomination Forms that are submitted to describe their significance. These forms generally represent the work of local citizens and offer unique information about places that, in some cases sadly, were not preserved. Especially noteworthy are the photographs found toward the end of the documents.
Additional links are provided in parentheses. For single buildings, Google Maps links are provided so that, if you do no recognize the building by name, you can quickly take a look at it.
Athens Factory/University of Georgia School of Social Work (Google maps)
Bishop House (Google Maps, University of Georgia page)
Bloomfield Street Historic District
Buena Vista Heights Historic District
Carnegie Library Building (Google Maps)
Albon Chase House (Google Maps)
Chestnut Grove School (Google Maps)
Church-Waddel-Brumby House (Athens Welcome Center page)
Cobbham Historic District (Athens Welcome Center self-guided tour)
Lucy Cobb Institute (University of Georgia page) (New Georgia Encyclopedia page)
T. R. R. Cobb House (official museum site) (T. R. R. Cobb New Georgia Encyclopedia page)
Coca-Cola Bottling Plant (Bottleworks) (Google Maps)
Ross Crane House (Sigma Alpha Epsilon page)
Albin P. Dearing House (Google Maps)
Dearing Street Historic District (Athens Welcome Center self-guided tour)
Downtown Athens Historic District (1984 update) (2006 update) (Athens Welcome Center self-guided tour)
First African Methodist Episcopal Church (Google Maps)
Franklin-Gazaway-Long-Upson House (Google Maps) (Library of Congress)
Garden Club of Georgia Former Headquarters House (University of Georgia page)
Jackson Street Cemetery (Old Athens Cemetery)
James S. Hamilton House (Alpha Delta Pi page)
Joseph Henry Lumpkin House (Google Maps)
Wilson Lumpkin House (University of Georgia page)
Milledge Avenue Historic District (2009 update) (Athens Welcome Center self-guided tour)
Milledge Circle Historic District
Morton Building (Morton Theatre site)
Oglethorpe Avenue Historic District
Old Clarke County Jail (Google Maps)
Hubert Bond Owens House (Google Maps)
Calvin W. Parr House (Google Maps)
Parrott Insurance Building (Google Maps)
Reese Street Historic District
Rocksprings Shotgun Row Historic District
R. P. Sorrells House (Google Maps)
Taylor-Grady House (official site) (Google Maps)
Thomas-Carithers House (Google Maps)
Treanor House (University of Georgia page)
University of Georgia President’s House/Benjamin H. Hill House (University of Georgia page)
Ware-Lyndon House (official site)
West Cloverhurst Avenue Historic District
West Hancock Avenue Historic District
White Hall House (University of Georgia page)
Young Women’s Christian Association Complex (Google Maps)
Search for more of these informative documents at the National Register Database.
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Also of note are these pages at the Georgia Historical Society website for the historical markers found in Clarke County:
America’s First Garden Club (Garden Club of Georgia New Georgia Encyclopedia page)
Athens High and Industrial School
Camak House: Landmark in Georgia Railroading
Cook & Brothers Confederate Armory
First Flight in Georgia: Site of Ben Epps’ Garage (Ben Epps New Georgia Encyclopedia page)
Georgia’s Pioneer Aviator: Ben T. Epps
Jeruel Academy/Union Baptist Institute
Home of Joseph Henry Lumpkin, Georgia’s First Chief Justice
Dr. William Lorenzo Moss Birthplace
University of Georgia Botanical Garden
Dr. Moses Waddel: Noted Educator and Presbyterian Minister
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For additional information about old University of Georgia buildings, the Office of University Architects web site offers a great deal of information.
Another crucial resource is the Historic Preservation Commission, part of the city-county government’s Planning Department, notably an interactive map of the city’s historic districts found at its Maps page.
Finally, read about Athens’ historic Places in Peril, so designated by the Historic Athens organization (formerly the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation). These structures and neighborhoods, either not officially preserved or actually in states of disrepair, may inspire you to get involved in local preservation.
Athens: In Time 