Press Release - Manor School (Ware County) Listed in the National Register

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Manor School in Ware County

Manor School Listed in the National Register of Historic Places


ATLANTA (July 28, 2017) – Manor School has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The property is located at 4650 Manor Millwood Road South in Manor (Ware County). The property owners sponsored the nomination and prepared the nomination materials.

Manor School is located along U.S. Highway 84 and the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in west central Ware County, near the Clinch County line and just north of the Okefenokee Swamp. The property encompasses 24 acres, and consists of five historic buildings plus an historic athletic field.

Manor School was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as significant in the area of architecture, as a good intact example of a rural consolidated public school building with elements of the Colonial Revival style that was later expanded with an International Style addition; and in the area of education, for its association with public education in Manor. A consolidated public school is an example of the type of school that was built in response to concerns about the state of education in Georgia in the early 20th century. Better roads and the growing use of the automobile made it possible to consolidate several rural schools into one larger and improved school.

The main building, completed in 1937 with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds and labor, retains its E-shaped footprint, auditorium, bathrooms, administrative offices, and many of the original finishes from its construction. Classroom wings extend back from the end bays, and a central auditorium wing extends back from the front entrance, forming the E-shaped plan. Other buildings include a small brick utility building constructed in 1937, a kitchen and cafeteria building built in 1956, a concrete-block gymnasium from 1959, and a special-education classroom building with International Style elements added in 1964. In 1996, a media center was constructed between the main building and the kitchen/cafeteria, as well as two greenhouses and a barn. Located across Manor Millwood Road, there are two baseball fields built in 1950 and 1995, and a concession stand built in 1990. The school was Manor’s main school until area high school students were moved to a separate high school near Waycross in 1967. At that time, Manor School housed grades K-8 before becoming a magnet school in 1993 and then closing in 2010.

The National Register of Historic Places is our country's official list of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts worthy of preservation. The National Register provides formal recognition of a property's architectural, historical, or archaeological significance. It also identifies historic properties for planning purposes, and insures that these properties will be considered in the planning of state or federally assisted projects. National Register listing encourages preservation of historic properties through public awareness, federal and state tax incentives, and grants. Listing in the National Register does not place obligations or restrictions on the use, treatment, transfer, or disposition of private property. 

The Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources serves as Georgia’s state historic preservation office. Its mission is to promote the preservation and use of historic places for a better Georgia.  HPD’s programs include archaeology protection and education, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax incentives, the National Register of Historic Places, community planning and technical assistance. 

The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.

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For press inquiries contact Historic Preservation Division Public Affairs Coordinator Jeff Harrison at 770-389-7869 and jeff.harrison@dnr.ga.gov


The above is a news release from the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Releases can be found online at www.georgiashpo.org.