| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — “The Folly” |
| | A dwelling has existed at 527 First Avenue since 1831 when Alfred Iverson wed Julia Forsyth, daughter of Georgia Governor John Forsyth. Elected to Congress in 1846, Iverson served in the Senate until Georgia seceded from the Union. Two sons served in the Confederate Army, one as a Brigadier General and one as a Lt. Colonel. During the War Between the States, local contractor Leander May surely knew of O.S. Fowler’s “A Home for All Seasons,” and not only built the front octagonal but . . . — Map (db m22408) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — 1918 Diamond Jubilee 1993 Camp Benning / Fort Benning |
| | Side 1:
In October 1918, the Infantry School of Arms was established on 80 acres of land near here. Camp Benning, later Fort Benning, was named in honor of Confederate Infantry General Lewis Benning, a Columbus resident. The camp’s first commander was Col. Henry Eames. Constructed in just 7 days, the temporary camp had some 300 tents, mess halls, offices and warehouses. It was built under the supervision Major J. Paul Jones. Hundreds of thousands of young men received their military . . . — Map (db m23176) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — 700 Broadway |
| | Situated on a lot that was part of Edward Lloyd Thomas’ original 1828 plan for the city, this c. 1870 Victorian townhouse is the only one of its design in Columbus. Among the families which inhabited this house was that of Stirling Price Gilbert (1862-1951) a Georgia Supreme Court Justice, who served with distinction in that capacity for twenty years. Because of its desirable setting and architectural significance, this structure was acquired by the Historic Columbus Foundation in 1976 and . . . — Map (db m22940) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Birthplace of Robert Winship Woodruff — December 6, 1889 |
| | Son of Ernest and Emily Winship Woodruff. Honored citizen, noted industrialist and philanthropist, a Georgian of universal friendships and acclaim. Through his vision and leadership the product “Coca-Cola” became the world’s refreshment.
1414 Second Avenue — Map (db m17808) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Church of the Holy Family |
| | The parish relocated to this site when the new church was dedicated May 12, 1880, and the name changed to The Church of The Holy Family. The Gothic-Byzantine structure was designed by architect Daniel Matthew Foley who was born in Dublin, Ireland. This church was built on property given by the Sisters of Mercy. The parish education building is located on the site where their convent and the school, St. Joseph’s Academy, stood from 1870 to 1964. This is the only downtown church with a grave . . . — Map (db m22829) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — 106-3 — City of Columbus |
| | This city of Columbus was created as a trading town by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia, December 24, 1827. The location designated was on the Chattahoochee River near the Coweta Falls. This spot was selected because it was at the head of river navigation and at the last of a series of falls which afforded great potential water-power. A reservation of 1200 acres was allotted for the town and commons. Surveying of streets began Feb. 1, 1828 and was completed within three months. Within . . . — Map (db m22802) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — 106-26 — Col. W. L. Salisbury |
| | This park is named for Col. W. L. Salisbury (1830-1878), soldier, editor, banker, distinguished citizen of Columbus whose contribution to progress and culture in his native city was outstanding. His home was on the east side of this block. He was a member of the Georgia Greys, Fifth Georgia Regiment, the second group from Columbus to join the Confederate army. A major from early in the war, he fought with honor in many engagements. Col. Salisbury was a leader of a group of citizens whose . . . — Map (db m22772) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Columbian Lodge No. 7, Free & Accepted Masons Columbus, Georgia |
| | Organized October 9, 1828, Columbian Lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Georgia in December 1828, as No. 28. In 1849 it became No. 7. It is the oldest Lodge in western Georgia. First Worshipful Master was Luther Blake. The Lodge was organized two months before the city of Columbus was incorporated in Muscogee County, then in Indian border territory. Numbered among the many prominent Georgians who have been members of Columbian Lodge: Col. James W. Fannin, Master in 1929, a martyr at . . . — Map (db m23053) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Columbus’ First Theater |
| | (Side 1): A pioneer theatrical entrepreneur, Sol Smith, 1801-1869, built many theaters in the Deep South, including New Orleans and Mobile and the first permanent theater west of the Mississippi in St. Louis, a city that he and partner Noah Ludlow dominated. Smith came to Columbus in 1831 to a primitive log structure in the 800 block of Broadway, which builder Asa Bates had completed in one week. “Pizzaro” was his company’s first production there. Later, Smith toured . . . — Map (db m22838) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Dr. Pemberton’s Country Home |
| | This house served as the residence of Dr. Pemberton between 1860-1869. Dr. Pemberton enjoys international prestige as the originator of the formula for Coco-Cola. He moved into this house from the white frame cottage located at 11 Seventh Street. Originally located in the country, four miles north of Columbus, this structure was moved to this site in 1977 to afford it the protection of the Nationally Registered Columbus Historic District. — Map (db m22646) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Dr. Thomas H. Brewer |
| | A Pike County, Alabama native of African-American descent, Dr. Brewer was born November 16, 1894. His office was located at 1025 1/2 First Avenue. Brewer emerged as a chief spokesman for the Civil Rights of the Negro and was described by Roy Wilkins of the NAACP as a fearless champion of the rights of his people.” His goal to guarantee the Negro the right to vote throughout the South was achieved in the Primus King case in 1945. He was a leader of the local chapter of the NAACP and worked . . . — Map (db m10975) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — First Black Public School |
| | Near here, in July 1872, the first local public school for black students was opened. The school was the result of an action by the City Council directing the Trustees of the Columbus Public Schools to set up classes for blacks. For the first of these, the trustees rented Temperance Hall, built in 1849. Until the 1871 opening of the Springer Opera House, this had been the city’s foremost theater. On its stage had appeared many of the opera, music, and theater greats of the era. Among them was . . . — Map (db m23120) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Fit for Man and Beast |
| | This watering fountain at Broadway and 10th Street represents the last one of several located in each block down Broadway. It is Columbus' oldest public fountain, dating back to the earliest days of the city. Called the Man and Beast fountain, it contains three watering bowls, one at street level for dogs, a large one in the middle for horses, and a medium-sized one near the top for people. Although we no longer go to public fountains to collect drinking water, fountains offer our community an identity and sense of history in our public spaces. — Map (db m22376) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Historic Riverdale Cemetery |
| | Side 1:
In 1890, availability of lots at Linwood Cemetery, the oldest institution of the Columbus city government, was becoming scarce. At that time, the city acquired additional property on 10th Avenue which became Riverdale Cemetery. The brick building near the entrance, erected in 1915, originally included a chapel, housing for the city sexton and a bell tower atop an arched passageway for funeral processions. Many citizens who have contributed significantly to the development and . . . — Map (db m22942) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Jewish Section of Riverdale Cemetery |
| | Side 1:
The earliest recorded Jewish burials in Columbus were in historic Linwood Cemetery and in the Raphael Moses family cemetery, Esquiline. When the City of Columbus established Riverdale Cemetery in 1890, Temple Israel purchased a piece of this property which became known as the “Jewish Section.” City Council notes of October 8, 1891 show that Mr. H. Sternberg, Treasurer of Temple Israel, paid fifty dollars as the first installment for half of Section Two. In 1896, . . . — Map (db m22943) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — John McIlhenny Home |
| | John McIlhenny, Civil Engineer, City Council member, and Mayor of Columbus 1873-1874, lived in this house in the 1860’s. Mr. McIlhenny is recognized as the father of the Columbus public school system. Authorized by the Georgia Legislature in December 1866, Columbus’ was the first city-supported school system in the state. Mr. McIlhenny was noted for his invention of the McIlhenny Gas Meter. In 1877, he moved to Philadelphia where his grandson, Henry P. McIlhenny, became a world-renowned art . . . — Map (db m22799) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Leonard Spring — Columbus’ Original Source of Water |
| | In 1839 citizens first called for the development of a water works system. On this site is located the original source of water for drinking and general household use for Columbus. Beginning in 1844, Leonard Spring, with a discharge of 200,000 gallons a day, provided water to the City through a series of wooden pipes. Water was piped to Broad Street by way of Randolph Street, now known as 12th Street. In the 1880's city water was obtained from Lee County, Alabama. The present water plant on . . . — Map (db m22484) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Liberty Hill Baptist Church |
| | Organized in 1869 by slaves, the first church building was built on land donated by Mrs. Emma Jones and Mrs. Nora Felton. The church was called the Bush Arbor Church because the construction and materials used. Reverend Phil Owens was the first pastor. A permanent church was built in 1875. It was a white wooden structure that served as the first school in the area as well as the meeting place for the International Benevolent Society. Renamed Liberty Hill Baptist Church, Inc. in 1956, the church . . . — Map (db m22970) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — 106-1 — Mildred L. Terry Branch Library |
| | The first public library for African Americans in segregated Columbus, the Colored/Fourth Avenue Library, opened on January 5, 1953. The existence of
this facility resulted from covenants and restrictions barring the use of the city’s new public library by African Americans. The project was completed with expenditures of less than one hundred thousand dollars. The library was renamed the Mildred L. Terry Branch in 1981 to honor its first librarian. — Map (db m22410) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Radcliff School |
| | In the fall of 1914 Radcliff School was organized in Allen Temple A.M.E. Church. At that time it was known as Wynnton Hill School. J. L. Bond was principal and the first head teacher was Mrs. S. A. Cody. When the building burned, the school was relocated to Wynnton Hill Baptist Church and later Primitive Baptist Church. In 1929, the school name was changed to Radcliff after a new building was erected on land purchased through a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation. Mrs. Cody was principal with . . . — Map (db m22409) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Richard Christmas — c. 1763–1848 |
| | A veteran of the North Carolina militia in the American Revolution, Christmas is buried here with his wife, Mary Roberson, his son, Nathaniel G. Christmas, and other descendants.
Living then in Green County, Ga., he drew a land lot nearby in present Harris County in the land lottery of 1827. He acquired property and moved here before 1835. His home was to the northeast on County Line Road.
A marker honoring his military service was placed on his grave by the Button Gwinnett Chapter, . . . — Map (db m9949) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Samuel Cooper — 1754-1841 — Soldier –- American Revolution |
| | Born in Maryland, Cooper served in the South Carolina Militia during the American Revolution and participated in battles at Brandywine, Germantown and Stony Point. After the War he moved to Putnam County, Georgia and later to Muscogee County where he had drawn 202 1/2 acres in the 1827 Lottery. A member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he is buried with his family in a cemetery which was located in front and south of his home. His last words were “Jesus is good.” Abandoned many . . . — Map (db m17811) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Temple Israel |
| | SIDE 1:
In 1854 twenty Columbus families banded together to form congregation B’Nai Israel, later known as Temple Israel, one of the first Jewish congregations in Georgia. For almost one hundred years religious services were held on this site, first in a wooden structure followed by a classical cathedral style edifice reflecting Synagogue architecture of that era. This two story brick Temple, built in 1886 was dedicated September 2, 1887. The last service held in this location was on . . . — Map (db m23477) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — The Cedars |
| | In 1836, John Banks and his wife, the former Sarah Watkins, both natives of Elbert Co., Ga., moved to Columbus, bought this property (then totaling 265 acres) in the fashionable suburb of Wynnton and began construction of this Greek Revival house. Already a successful lawyer and merchant, Banks became involved in banking and manufacturing, the operation of large plantations south of the city, and local philanthropy including the co-founding of the Wynnton School on his property. The Cedars, his . . . — Map (db m22560) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — The Elms |
| | In 1844, Lambert Spencer built a simple Greek Revival home detailed with Doric columns and acanthus leaves. In 1868, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Bowers enlarged and beautified the home. Mr. Bowers added two hexagonal wings and hired an itinerant painter to paint three ceiling frescoes. Mrs. Bowers, with the help of an English gardener, laid out a formal butterfly-shaped garden. The kitchen was a separate building, joined to the house by a covered porch. Other outbuildings included a two-story servant . . . — Map (db m17820) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — The Joseph House — Circa 1842 |
| | This historic house is an early example of cottage style Greek Revival. Descendants of Isaac Joseph occupied this house for over one hundred years. Because of her interest in and dedication to historic preservation, Mrs. Gertrude Joseph Wood gave this excellent architectural example to the Historic Columbus Foundation, thereby preserving it for future generations. This site was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites and Places in 1969. — Map (db m22649) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — The Ledger-Enquirer Newspapers |
| | The Columbus Enquirer and The Columbus Ledger have been published from this site since 1930. The Enquirer was founded in 1828 by Mirabeau Bounaparte Lamar, later the second president of the Republic of Texas. The Ledger was founded in 1886 by Edward T. Byington and his wife, Ella G. Byington. In 1893, The Ledger was purchased by Rinaldo William Page. The Page family purchased the Enquirer in 1930 and owned both newspapers until they were sold to Knight Newspapers, Inc., now Knight-Ridder Inc., . . . — Map (db m22873) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — The Pemberton House |
| | Dr. John Styth Pemberton, originator of the formula for Coca-Cola, lived in this regional cottage from 1855-1860, during which time he was a practicing pharmacist in Columbus. This house is dedicated to his memory by The Coca-Cola Company, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. — Map (db m22497) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Victory Drive |
| | On August 15, 1945, celebrating the surrender of Japan which ended World War II, the Muscogee County Commission unanimously voted to rename the boulevard extending from Columbus to Fort Benning as Victory Drive. Commissioner L.R. Aldridge stated, “No time could be more appropriate than the day following the night when we know victory is ours.” Ft. Benning Commanding General William H. Hobson responded to the gesture: “We believe that so designating the highway as ‘Victory . . . — Map (db m22139) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Walker – Peters – Langdon House |
| | Moveable, prefabricated houses similar to this Federal Cottage were available for purchase by settlers participating in the Land Lot Sale of 1828. Original owner, Colonel Virgil Walker of Harris County, transferred the lot and “all improvements” to Mrs. Dicey Peters, mother of Mrs. William Langdon. Six generations of the Langdon Family subsequently owned the house, traditionally known as the oldest in Columbus. The Historic Columbus Foundation acquired the property in 1966. — Map (db m22673) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Columbus — Woodruff Farm House and Log Cabin |
| | The 1840’s Woodruff Farm House was originally located eight miles east of Columbus on land adjoining the old road to Macon, Georgia. The dwelling was enlarged and used as a summer residence by the Woodruff family in the 1920’s. When development endangered this structure, it was donated to the Historic Columbus Foundation and was placed on this site in 1986.
Moved from its original location ten miles from this site, the cabin on this lot is an example of the kind of log building used by . . . — Map (db m22679) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Fortson — Fortson House — 1858 |
| | (Side 1): Thomas and Elizabeth Almond settled in this area with her orphaned brother Thomas Daniel Fortson in the 1830s. In 1858, as a prominent farmer, Fortson built this Greek Revival Georgian Cottage, its surrounding outbuildings and cotton terraces. He also ran a gristmill on the nearby Heiferhorn Creek during the Civil War. His son, Thomas Willis Fortson, established a general store and was appointed Station Agent and Postmaster for Fortson, Georgia in 1885. The Fortson House has . . . — Map (db m22875) |
| Georgia (Muscogee County), Midland — 106-12 — “Blind Tom” |
| | 200 feet east is the grave of Thomas Wiggins, (1843-1908). As “Blind Tom” he thrilled audiences here and in Europe with his remarkable musical performances. Born a slave, his native genius let him reproduce perfectly on the piano any sound he heard, including classical compositions and the sounds of birds. His owners, the Bethune family, discovered his rich gift, when they heard exquisite music in their home near Columbus, and found the little blind boy at the piano. He reached the . . . — Map (db m22770) |
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