Discover helpful resources for historic preservation and for historic property owners
Georgia Historic Preservation Handbook
A Layman’s Guide to Historic Preservation in the State of Georgia
Download the PDF
Historic Preservation Institute
The Georgia Trust’s Historic Preservation Institute offers preservation courses and workshops throughout the year
National Trust for Historic Preservation Tips and Tools
The National Trust’s blog offers articles on everything you need to start saving places here.
Preservation Briefs
Preservation Briefs provide information on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic buildings.
https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs.htm
Advocate for a Historic Property – Advocacy Toolkit
The Georgia Trust has created an Advocacy Toolkit that outlines steps to help you advocate for and save historic places.
Download the PDF
Research a Historic Property
Georgia Department of Community Affairs Historic Preservation Division – Research and Documentation
Also, see more about how to research your house below
Restore a Historic Property
Find a preservation professional or consultant
List Your Property on the National Register
Georgia Department of Community Affairs Historic Preservation Division – National Register
Find a Historic Preservation Planner
Georgia Department of Community Affairs Historic Preservation Division Consultants Directory
Historic Churches and Houses of Worship
Partners for Sacred Places
Preserving Black Churches – National Trust for Historic Preservation
Historic African American Sites
Visit the Georgia Trust’s African American Preservation Program to learn about educational resources and download a tailored resource sheet
Financial Assistance
The Georgia Trust has a limited number of grants and fellowships you can learn more about here. There are are also a few state and national programs that provide financial assistance to aid historic preservation efforts, through tax incentives and grant programs. While there are a number of organizations that offer grants for historic preservation, these typically are not available for privately owned property, such as residences. See below for more.
Tax Incentives
A number of tax incentives are available for the rehabilitation of historic properties, which are administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Historic Preservation Division. Learn more here.
Grants
Georgia Trust Grants and Fellowships
Georgia Department of Community Affairs Historic Preservation Division Grants
National Park Service Grants
National Trust for Historic Preservation Grants
National Fund for Sacred Places
More Funding Resources:
HistoricFunding.com
We’ve all dreamed of finding a priceless antique in the attic—but what if the attic itself is a priceless antique? Researching the history of your home can be a time consuming but ultimately rewarding endeavor.
“If you were going to marry somebody, you would want to know their background,” says Ken Thomas, former historian for the Historic Preservation Division (HPD). “Why wouldn’t you want to know about your house?”
The best resource for the history of your house is the house itself. Walk around and take note of any unusual features. In what style was the house constructed? What materials were used? The style and materials used in construction can be important indicators of when the house was built and even who built it. If you don’t have the first clue about building styles, try checking out a book on architectural styles from your local library.
Your next step should be to talk to your neighbors, past and present. Maybe they remember events and people associated with your home. Another source for information is your local historical society. They may be able to provide a historical context for your house in the community, information on the builder or first owner and possibly even historic photos. The Georgia Historical Society lists contact information for historical societies on its Web site at www.georgiahistory.com.
Next, it’s time to research. If you live in a National Register district, contact the state to get background information on your area.
In Georgia, the Survey and National Register Unit of HPD is a good resource, as is your local regional development center.
There are many documents that can help you trace the history of your house. Spend some time at your county courthouse, where you will find wills, tax records and other deeds related to your property. A sudden jump in the tax appraisal of the property can indicate the year your house or an addition was built. Take a copy of your deed, which contains a legal description of your house. Other materials you can look for at other locations include building permits and city directories. Sanborn fire insurance maps can be particularly helpful in learning about the history of your house. The University of Georgia has a large collection of original Sanborn maps, and Georgia State University keeps many on microfilm.
Another good resource that was shared with us is this page on HomeAdvisor’s website, which includes additional links for researching the history of a house.
Keep three goals in mind: 1) tracing the physical changes and architectural style of your house from the way it originally looked and functioned to the way it looks today; 2) tracing the ownership and occupancy of your house; and 3) analyzing the information gathered to learn more about the people and stories connected to your house.
There are several things you can do with this information. Maybe you’d like to try to secure National Register designation. Maybe you want to restore the house to its original appearance. Whatever you decide to do, make sure to give a copy of your research to the new owners should you ever decide to sell the house, and don’t forget to add yourself to the end of the list of owners.