Augusta - University Map

Search

Table of Contents

Tours

1. Summerville History Walk Tour

   Stops

   1. Guard House Museum

      The United States Arsenal Guard House was built in 1866.  The building served U.S. troops and functioned as security headquarters during reconstruction.  The building was located at the entrance to the U.S. Arsenal at the corner of Catherine Street and Walton Way.  In 2003, The Guard House was restored thanks to a generous gift from Ann Boardman in honor of her son-in-law Maxcy Paul Brown, as well as a grant from the state of Georgia.   The restoration effort won a preservation award from Historic Augusta.  Since 2004, the Guard House has served the community as a museum in which visitors can learn about the history of the U.S. Arsenal, Augusta University, and its legacy institutions, as well as Sand Hills and Summerville Historic Districts.  The museum also serves as a welcome center for visitors wishing to traverse the history walk that circles the Summerville campus. 

   2. U.S. Arsenal

      President George Washington recommended Augusta as a U.S. Arsenal location in 1793.  Following the War of 1812, Congress authorized the Augusta Arsenal, with construction being completed by 1819 on a low-lying site near the Savannah River.  When a fever decimated the garrison, Captain M.M. Payne recommended relocation.  In 1826 the U.S. government purchased the present site from Freeman Walker, rebuilding the arsenal using the original materials.
      
      During the antebellum period, troops from the Augusta Arsenal played a role in the South Carolina nullification crisis (1832-1833), the Seminole Wars in Florida (1832-1833) and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848).  In 1845 future Civil War Union General William T. Sherman was stationed here briefly. As the nation approached the crisis of civil war, the Augusta Arsenal was one of only four arsenals located in the Confederacy.  
      
      When Georgia seceded from the Union in 1861, the state military accepted the surrender of the arsenal.  Under the command of Colonel George Washington Rains, the arsenal was a major contributor to the Confederate war effort.  Rains also supervised the construction and operation of the Confederate Powder Works on the site of the original arsenal. At the war’s end in 1865, federal troops reoccupied the arsenal. 
      
      The Augusta Arsenal played important roles in World Wars I (1917-1918) and II (1941-1945) and the Korean conflict (1950-1953).  During World War II the arsenal produced, maintained, and reconditioned military equipment used in all theaters of the war.  Of the more than 2,000 arsenal workers, one-third were women.  In 1955, the government closed the arsenal after 127 years of service on this site. Two years later the Junior College of Augusta moved to the property.  

   3. Augusta State University prior to Move to Arsenal Property

      After the American Revolution Augusta exhibited a zeal for education with the founding of the Academy of Richmond County, the first public academy in the state and the parent institution to the present university.  In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the academy offered young men a classical education.   In 1815, the academy began renting a portion of its rooms for a private female academy, featuring an ornamental education for young ladies. 
      
      During his May 1791 visit to Augusta President George Washington was a guest in the audience for the oral examinations fo the academy students.  During the antebellum years the academy offered some college level work. 
      
      

      In 1909 oversight of the Academy moved from the Academy Board of Trustees to the Richmond County Board of Education. Under the leadership of President George P. Butler, the board added a formal first year college curriculum.
      
      

      In 1925, the Junior College of Augusta, operating at the campus of the Academy of Richmond County, received its charter, with George P. Butler serving as president from 1925-1930. The first class graduated in 1927. James L. Skinner served as president of the college from 1930-1937, Eric Hardy from 1937-1954 and Anton Markert from 1954-1957. 

       

   4. Arsenal Oak

      The Arsenal Oak, located near the geographic center of campus, dates to the early 1800s. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Stephen Vincent Benet, son of arsenal commandant J. Walker Benet (1911-1919), is said to have written poetry under its shade. 

       

      On the history walk you can see this is a representative cross section of the white oak (Quercus Alba) known as the Arsenal Oak. Random historical events are indicated on this cross section to represent a timeline that parallels the growth of the Arsenal Oak. 

       

      Augusta College adopted the Arsenal Oak as its logo, a tradition Augusta State University continued. In 2004 the oak stood 100 feet tall, had a trunk 70 inches in diameter and a canopy of 135 feet. The 250-year-old oak was removed due to disease that year. Community members and students wishing to preserve the Oak’s legacy, sprouted a descendent oak tree from acorns collected from the famed Arsenal Oak. The new Arsenal Oak was planted in front of Benet House in 2016. 

   5. Augusta State University after move to Arsenal Property

      The Junior College of Augusta acquired its own campus in 1957, moving from the Academy of Richmond County to the property the United States Arsenal had occupied from 1826-1955.

       

      The Junior College of Augusta became Augusta College, a four year senior college, in 1963.  The Augusta College Foundation was established that same year.  In the mid-1960s the college admitted its first African American students, awarded its first bachelor degrees, organized the Augusta College Alumni Association and received accreditation. Gerald Robbins served as president from 1957-1970.

       

      During the administration of George Christenberry (1970-1986), the campus expanded with the acquisition of the Boykin Wright building, the Jefferson Maxwell House, the U.S. Army Reserve Training Center, and the Armed Forces Golf Course at Forest Hills. New physical facilities during this time included Reese Library and the Grover Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre. In 1972 the college instituted its first graduate program. 

       

      Expansion continued in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.  The administration of Richard Wallace (1987-1991) oversaw the construction of the Physical Education /Athletic Complex on the Forest Hills campus.  During the administration of William Bloodworth Jr., the new Science Building and Allgood Hall opened in 2000 and 2002, respectively.  Along with extensive renovations to other campus facilities, construction also began on additional projects. 

       

      In 1996 Augusta College became Augusta State University.  The newly designated university hosted U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton in January 1997 when he announced a national scholarship program to be patterned on Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship begun by Georgia Governor Zell Miller. 

   6. Sand Hills and Summerville Historic Districts

      The Sand Hills mark the ancient shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean.  The neighborhood that developed there in the 1790s was a summer retreat for Augustans.  George Walton and John Milledge were early residents.  The area known as Summerville by 1806 gained increasing numbers of permanent residents. 

       

      The first route downtown to Summerville was Battle Row, originally an Indian Pathway. In 1830 a plank road was built along Walton Way, providing easier access to the “hill”.  In 1816 the trustees of Richmond Academy built Summerville Academy on land donated by Thomas Cumming. Eight years later Cumming also gave land for Summerville Cemetery. In 1861 Summerville incorporated as a village run by an elected Board of Commissioners, one of whom served as an intendant. The village included all land in a one-mile radius from the intersection of Milledge Road and Walton Way. 

       

      In the late 1800s Summerville became a successful winter resort. The Bon Air Hotel opened in 1889 and the Partridge Inn in 1910. The hotels, golf courses and tea rooms attracted northern visitors, some of whom bought or built homes in the neighborhood. In this period residences also expanded into the Monte Sano area. 

       

      In 1911 Summervillians voted in favor of annexation to the city of Augusta, bringing infrastructure improvements and more urban services. The population of Summerville grew quickly after the 1916 fire downtown spurred a movement to the hill. In spite of the decline of the tourist industry by the 1930s, the neighborhood continued to grow throughout the twentieth century with the addition of churches, schools, hospitals, retail establishments, and apartment buildings. Its significant history and architecture led to the neighborhood’s designation as Summerville Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

       

      The neighborhood officially known as “Sand Hills” began as a part of Summerville.  The land in the area was owned by prominent Augustans including the Cumming, Fleming, Montgomery, and Fitten families prior to the Civil War. When Summerville was incorporated in 1861, the village included the present “Sand Hills” neighborhood. 

       

      In the post Civil War period African Americans acquired portions of this land through purchase and occasionally through gift, although the neighborhood remained racially integrated in the nineteenth century.  By the late 1800s residents began calling the area “Elizabethtown” for Elizabeth Fleming, a teacher and later missionary to China. The Fleming family owned Westview Plantation located on the edge of the neighborhood. 

       

      By the late nineteenth century the neighborhood included Weed School, several churches, stores, and many social organizations. Residents included skilled craftsmen, a few small business owners, professionals, domestic servants and other service workers. The neighborhood continued to be home to African Americans throughout the twentieth century. Along with the rest of the Summerville village, Elizabethtown became part of Augusta when annexed in 1911. 

       

      Because of its historic significance and the fine vernacular architecture in the neighborhood dating to the early post Civil War period, the Sand Hills Historic District was named to the National Register of Historic Places in July of 1997. 

       

   7. Augusta Arsenal Cemetery, 1841

      After the U.S. Government’s purchase of the Freeman Walker Property in 1826, an acre adjoining the Walker Cemetery was designated as a military burial site, although three unidentified graves existed previously, the first recorded burial took place in 1841.  Since immediate family members of military personnel also were entitled to interment, the graves of ten wives and ten children are among the seventy-two sites.  The last burial occurred in 1941, a century after the first official interment at the Augusta Arsenal Cemetery. 
      
      

      More information: Arsenal Cemetery | Augusta, GA - Official Website (augustaga.gov)

      Arsenal Cemetery Graves: Graves | Augusta, GA - Official Website (augustaga.gov)

   8. The Augusta Arsenal during the U.S. Civil War—Civil War Heritage Trail Marker

      On Thursday, January 24, 1861, five days after the Georgia’s secession from the Union, Governor Joseph E. Brown accepted the surrender of the United States Arsenal at Augusta from Captain Arnold Elzey Brown, rejected Elzey’s request that his troops be allowed to take their arms, they having “brought none with them.”  Thus Georgia acquired 27,000 muskets and rifles, two cannon, and two 12—pounder howitzers.  The Augusta Chronicle reported the departing Federals “fired a national salute of 33 guns, lowered the stars and stripes from the flagstaff, and formally gave up the position.  The independent of the Republic of Georgia was hoisted in its stead, and the affair was over.”  As 82 Federal troops marched out, a detachment of the six-hundred-man Augusta Independent Battalion volunteer militia took command.  The Augusta Arsenal would play a major role in supplying the Confederacy, becoming the lower South’s arsenal most responsible for the production and repair of field artillery during the war. 

      By mid-1861, Confederate Chief of Ordnance, Josiah Gorgas began making the Augusta site a “great arsenal of construction where ammunition, field and siege artillery projectiles and ordnance stores in general [would] be made in large quantities.” The first Confederate commandant, Captain W. G. Gill, oversaw construction of a massive brick building on a eastern boundary of the arsenal.  It housed a blacksmith shop, tin shop, and the harness and equipment department of the field artillery.  By the war’s end a portion of it also served as a hospital.  The construction of many other buildings occurred after Major (later promoted to Colonel) George Washington Rains took command in April 1862. 

      Rains’ employees included a chemist, a master armorer, and many artisans.  The significance of the work in the arsenal made the male workers draft exempt.  However, they did form as a home defense unit to protect the facility in case of attack.  Other workers included African Americans, women and even children, who made cartridges and the bags to carry them. 

      From 1863 through 1865 the arsenal manufactured large quantities of war material from 73,521 horseshoes to 4,622,000 lead balls, 10,575 powder boxes, 10,760,000 cartridges for small arms, 2,445 saddles and 1,000,000 percussion caps.  Field artillery and equipment for both infantry and cavalry poured from the Augusta Arsenal to Confederate soldiers on battlefields throughout the South, particularly for those defending Georgia.

      Union Major General William T. Sherman’s army threatened Augusta during its “March to the Sea” in late November 1864.  Preparations were made to move much equipment to safety, until the Federal army turned toward Savannah.  The war ended for Augusta on Wednesday, May 3, 1865, when Federal troops entered the city.  Captain W. H. Warren, acting for Colonel Rains, surrendered the arsenal to Union Major General Emory Upton.  Once again, the stars and stripes flew over the United States Arsenal in Augusta. 

       

   9. Augusta Junior College Leadership Marker

      The Year 2004 brought many changes: the completion of University Hall, and a new front entrance, an extension of the history walk down Katherine Street and Arsenal Avenue, the demolition of six old buildings, the renovation of Bellevue Hall, and –sadly—the demise of the Arsenal Oak.
      
      In 1974 four Arsenal warehouses then being used for classrooms were named for presidents of the Junior College: George P. Butler (1925-1930), James L. Skinner (1930-1937), Eric W. Hardy (1937-1954), and Anton P. Markert (1954-1957) who served also as principals of the Academy of Richmond County.  Butler, Skinner, Hardy and Markert Halls were replaced by new academic buildings and demolished in 2004.  

   10. Augusta Arsenal Quadrangle, 1827

       Post-Civil War Arsenal Commandant Daniel W. Flager, who served from 1866-1871, designed a new arsenal sundial which was then fabricated on-site in 1870.  When its location became too shady, the time piece was moved to the quadrangle in 1934.  When the arsenal closed in 1955, the army gave it to the City of Augusta, who donated it to Fort Gordon in 1957.  In 1964, The Richmond County Historical Society presented this replica of the original to the college. 

       The quadrangle wall, with its intact windows and loopholes (firing ports) was built as part of the original arsenal.  It connected to all four buildings to provide a protected enclosure.  The building inside the Quadrangle was constructed during the Civil War by the Confederates.  Over the years, it served the Arsenal as a storage building, coal house, stable, and library.  The University has also used it for various purposes. 

       Named by the college for Arsenal Commandant Alexander C.W. Fanning (1827-1832), this building was one of the original arsenal structures reconstructed at this location.  Although predominantly used as barracks for enlisted men, it also housed bachelor officers, a mess hall, and hospital clinic at various times.  It has served the University as administrative and business offices. 

   11. Napoleon Cannon, 1862

       This Confederate cannon is one of four cast by Leeds & Company that were issued to Semple’s Alabama Artillery Battery.  According to tradition, they were cast from melted down bells donated by churches in New Orleans.  The cannon was engaged in the battles of Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville, and when the war ended, they were surrendered to the Augusta Arsenal.  When the Arsenal closed in 1955, two cannon were taken to Ft. Gordon and two were given to the university.  This 12 pounder Napoleon derives its name from the French Emperor, Napoleon III, and after the twelve-pound iron cannonball which it fired.  It was the most common field cannon of the Civil War and was preferred by artillerymen of both sides.

       Note that in June 2006 the quadrangle was renovated to include the installation of a new reproduction carriage purchased for the 1862 Napoleon cannon. See images below.

   12. Augusta Arsenal Headquarters, 1827

       In 1973, Augusta College named three of the original arsenal buildings in honor of commandants of the arsenal.  Payne Hall storehouse and later headquarters for the arsenal and an administrative building for the university, was named for Matthew Payne, first commandant of the arsenal from 1819-1827. He oversaw the purchase of the Walker family land and plans for the relocation of the arsenal from the Savannah River. 

       
       The Benet house, the arsenal Commandant’s home, the college president’s home from 1960-1987, and administrative offices, became a national historic landmark in 1973.  Arsenal Commandant J. Walker Benet served here from 1911-1919.  His son, Stephen Vincent Benet, wrote poetry here while attending Summerville Academy.  Stephen won two Pulitzer Prizes, and his brother, William Rose, one won.

       Rains hall, once officers’ quarters, bears the name of George Washington Rains, confederate commandant from April 1862 until the arsenal’s re-occupation by union troops in May 1865. Under his supervision the arsenal manufactured confederate weapons and other supplies.  Rains also chose Augusta for the confederate powder works. Rains hall has served the university mainly as administrative offices.

       This U.S. Civil War cannon was officially a Model 1857, light 12-pounder gun, popularly called a ‘Napoleon.’ Napoleons were the most common and preferred cannon of the Civil War by artillerymen of both sides.  The 12-pounder designation means that an iron cannonball for this cannon would weigh twelve pounds. Napoleons were employed at ranges of up to 2,000 yards. The muzzle markings: No. 96, 1862, A.M. Co., 1223, and A.B.D. tell us that it was the ninety-sixth gun made in 1862 by The Ames Manufacturing Company, that it weighs 1,223 pounds and was accepted for the U.S. Army by Ordnance Officer Alexander B. Dyer.  -Cannon description courtesy of Mr. Tom Sutherland