Plains Train Depot: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, National Park Service

WLA Studio

This cultural landscape inventory (CLI) has been adapted from " Plains Depot, Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, Cultural Landscape Report" (WLA Studio, 2019). The Plains Depot is a landscape located within the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (JICA). The .32-acre depot site is situated in the small town of Plains, Georgia, in rural Sumter County. The National Park Service (NPS) has managed the property since its acquisition in December 1987. The site is roughly 9 miles west of Americus, the county seat, 45 miles southeast of Columbus, Georgia, and 115 miles south of Atlanta. The property is bounded on the north by the rail right-of-way, on the east by South M. L. Hudson Street, on the south by West Main Street, and on the west by a parcel containing two warehouse buildings located within the rail right-of-way. While once functioning as the symbolic and functional center of Plains, the Plains Depot is now principally associated with Jimmy Carter and his 1976 presidential campaign. The Plains Depot is both a historic site and a historic vernacular landscape that is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterions A for its association with broad patterns of history and Criterion B for its association with the life of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. The site is significant at the local level for community planning and the development of Plains. Plains was moved to its current location to be near the railroad line that was extending from Americus, ultimately leading to the development of the town around the depot and the railway. The site is also eligible under Criterion B for its association to President Carter as his presidential campaign headquarters. The period of significance is based on the National Register nomination for the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. The period of significance begins in 1921, with the birth of Jimmy Carter, and ends in 2022 (the current date at the completion of this cultural landscape inventory (CLI)) for the continued contributions of the 39th President and his wife. This period of significance is for the historic site as a collective unit and does not include the construction of the depot in 1890. A more accurate period of significance for this CLI should begin with the construction of the depot building in 1890 and the end in 1976, the year Jimmy Carter was elected as President of the United States. When writing this CLI, the above dates were considered to be the period of significance. The surviving resources of the site that reflect this association include the depot building, overall spatial organization, and preserved utilitarian character. Adjacent properties support the historic character of the site. The cultural landscape continues to reflect the character of the site as it existed during the period of significance (1890 to 1976). The site maintains integrity of feeling, location, workmanship, association, setting, materials, and design. These are reflected through the character defining features such as natural systems and features, views and vistas, building and structures, and spatial organization. The Plains Depot Cultural Landscape is in fair condition.

Plains Train Depot: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, National Park Service

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