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Augusta in Richmond County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Colonial Augusta

 
 
Colonial Augusta Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, March 3, 2013
1. Colonial Augusta Marker
Inscription. "The settlement of Augusta is of great service
...the Key of all the Indian Countrey"
— James Edward Oglethorpe, 1739

James Edward Oglethorpe captured the lucrative Indian trade for the colony of Georgia, when he founded Augusta in 1736. He planned the town of 40 lots as abase of operations for the Indian traders, and established a military post for their protection. The fort also served as a warning to the French at Mobile and the Spanish at St. Augustine, who were vying for control of the same Indian trade and territory. (Map Included)

Oglethorpe wrote that Augusta was "the great resort for the Indian trade and there is a very pretty Town built... without any expense to the Trust except the Garrison for their protection."

Augusta's storekeepers and packhorsemen swapped European goods for deer skins with the Creeks, Chickasaws, and Choctaws to the west, and the Cherokees and Catawbas to the north.

The rough and tumble town soon began to show signs of civilization when the citizens built a church in 1749 and applied for an Anglican minister. (Picture included)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial EraSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1739.
 
Location. 33° 
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28.594′ N, 81° 57.942′ W. Marker is in Augusta, Georgia, in Richmond County. Marker is on Reynolds Street near Burum Alley, on the right when traveling east. Located in Augusta Commons. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Augusta GA 30901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Original Augusta Common - 1736 (within shouting distance of this marker); General James Edward Oglethorpe (within shouting distance of this marker); James Edward Oglethorpe (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mayham Tower (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Augusta Cotton Exchange (about 400 feet away); James Brown (Plaza) (about 400 feet away); A Memorial To Eli Whitney (about 400 feet away); The Rotary Club of Augusta (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Augusta.
 
Regarding Colonial Augusta. Archeaological evidence has proven the existence of Indian villages in the Augusta area as early as 2,500 B.C., and a type of decorated pottery found at varios sites is amoung the oldest in North America. Just north of the present-day city of Augusta, the river falls across broken ridges of rock, allowing deer and buffalo, as well as the hunters that stalked them, a safe passage across the water.The area became the crossroads where several ancient Indian trails met at the river.
Colonial Augusta Map image. Click for full size.
John Mitchell,Library of Congress, `
2. Colonial Augusta Map
"A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America,"
Even before the founding of the colony of Georgia, deerskin traders from South Carolina assembled at Fort Moore on the Carolina side of the river to organize caravans that ventured amoung Indian tribes as far west as the Mississippi. General James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, commissioned the frontier outpost of Augusta in 1736, and described it as the " Key of all the Indian Countrey".
Two major conferences of the Indian chieftains and representatives of colonial governments held in Augusta in 1763 and 1773 resulted in land treaties which opened large areas to the north and west of Augusta for further settlement.
 
Colonial Augusta Marker image. Click for more information.
Photographed By Colonial Augusta Marker, `
3. Colonial Augusta Marker
Fort Augusta and Saint Paul's Church

Click for more information.
Colonial Augusta Marker, Located in Augusta Commons image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, March 3, 2013
4. Colonial Augusta Marker, Located in Augusta Commons
General James Edward Oglethorpe monument ,nearby image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, March 3, 2013
5. General James Edward Oglethorpe monument ,nearby
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 3, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 885 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 3, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.

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Mar. 19, 2024