Initially founded in 1985 as a non-profit organization, the Morris Museum of Art was the first museum dedicated solely to Southern art. It houses a collection of 5,000 works of art comprised of sculptures, paintings, photographs and works on paper, dating from the late 18th century to today. Specifically, the collection features the following categories: antebellum portraiture, the Civil War, genre (depictions of everyday life), still life, impressionists of the South, landscape paintings, early to mid-20th century art, late 20th to contemporary art, and self-taught artists. The museum is also the location for the Center for the Study of Southern Art, which was established in 1989 as research and reference library. The museum offers many educational programs as well including readings, lectures, storytellings and art workshops.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is located on the banks of the Savannah River, where in 1735, General Oglethorpe founded Georgia’s second city as a fortress and Indian trading center upriver from Savannah. The church grounds are the site of the first church of Augusta built in 1749 and the location of old Fort Augusta built by colonists as protection against Indians. Rebuilt as Fort Cornwallis during the Revolutionary War, the fort was captured by “Lighthorse Harry” Lee, a famed war hero and father of Robert E Lee. The capture of the fortress was a great blow to the British cause. Saint Paul’s congregation was part of the Church of England and its clergy had sworn allegiance to the English monarch. The Episcopal Church has been called "the symbol of Augusta" by noted historian Edward J. Cashin.
This museum was established in 1937 and is the largest and oldest of its kind in the region. The museum offers a research center, educational programs, and numerous exhibits that change throughout the year. The centerpiece of the museum is the museum's permanent exhibition titled Savannah's Story. This award-winning exhibit traces the history of the city and region from the earliest archaeological evidence of human habitation through the colonial period to the Civil War, the devastating fire of 1916, and the city and region in the modern era.
This place marks the location of what was once The Haunted Pillar of the Lower Market; a marker placed near the site explains the pillar’s history. The Lower Market closed in 1891, but the pillar remained a popular tourist destination until December 2016, when it was unfortunately hit by a car. There are plans to begin reconstruction in the near future.
Dedicated in 1848, this monument honors George Walton, Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett-the three Georgia colonists who signed their names on the Declaration of Independence. The monument also marks the location of the final resting place of two of the men, Walton and Hall. These two men were reburied in crypts next to this monument prior to its dedication in 1848. When completed, the monument and the burial place of these two men were located in front of Augusta's city hall. That building site is is now the location of the modern Government Complex.
The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art is the only independent educational art institution in the greater Augusta area. It offers various classes and workshops and holds changing exhibitions throughout the year. The museum is housed in the historic Ware-Sibley-Clark House, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The building is one of the finest examples of Federal style architecture in the United States. It also features many unique elements such as a portico, bays and oval stairway. It was built by Nicholas Ware, mayor of Augusta (1819-1821) and U.S. senator (1821-1825) in 1818.
The Old Medical College was constructed in 1834 as the first building of what is now Augusta University. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996 for its exceptional Greek Revival architecture and for the key role the faculty played in the development of medical practices in the country (the building had already been added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972). It was the main building for the Medical College of Georgia which was founded a few years earlier in 1828.
The Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home was the home of Woodrow Wilson for 13 years of his childhood in Augusta, Georgia. His family moved here when he was only 1 year of age in 1858. The family stayed at the home until the fall of 1870 when Wilson, known as “Tommy” at the time, was almost 14 years of age. Today the home is a National Historic Landmark.
Bell auditorium is a 2690-seat theater that was restored in 1989 and is now part of the James Brown Arena. The naming of the complex after Brown, an African American performer, demonstrates some of the changes made in the South over the past sixty years when one considers that the theater is most famous for a performance that did not occur due to its former policy of racial segregation. On March 15, 1961, Ray Charles canceled a performance scheduled for Bell Auditorium when he learned that the venue intended to segregate white and Black attendees. Charles refused to go on stage in protest, and was fined for breach of contract. This small act helped to publicize the problem of segregation and the growing movement against these kind of discriminatory policies.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This very short tour of downtown Augusta includes several historic landmarks and concludes at the Morris Museum of Art. The tour includes the Augusta Museum of History and Woodrow Wilson's boyhood home.
