Augusta Facts
Fact 1: Augusta traces its roots back to 1736 when General James Edward Oglethorpe, the father of the Georgia Crown Colony, laid it out as the state's second city, after Savannah.
Fact 2: Meadow Garden was the home of George Walton, one of Georgia's signers of the Declaration of Independence, but the youngest signer! Built around 1791, it's the city's oldest documented structure!
Fact 3: Contrary to popular belief, Augusta has more to offer outdoor enthusiasts than golf! J. Strom Thurmond Lake, the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi River, has more than 1200 miles of shoreline and provides plenty of space for boaters, swimmers, fishermen and hunters alike!
Fact 4: Owwww, I feel good! Augusta is the hometown of the "Godfather of Soul," James Brown. There's a local street named after him. Other famous people from Augusta include Amy Grant, Laurence Fishburne, Jim Nabors, Danny Glover and Hulk Hogan.
Fact 5: An estimated 75% of the world's golf carts are produced each year in Augusta. Both EZ-Go and Club Car have manufacturing plants in Augusta.
Fact 6: When it comes to golf, Augusta is the "fore"runner! Since March 22, 1934 the Master's has been held at the Augusta National Golf Course. In addition, the 55,000 square foot Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, expected to be completed in early 2002, will also be located in Augusta.
Fact 7: The chimney from the Confederate Powderworks Factory, which lies adjacent to the Augusta Canal, is the last standing permanent structure built by the Confederacy.
Fact 8: The Monsanto Plant in Augusta is the nation's sole producer of Nutrasweet and Equal and the world's largest producer of aspartame, the compound in those products.
Fact 9: Can you believe it? Legend has it that at the corner of Fifth and Broad Streets is "the haunted pillar." The story goes that the city prohibited a preacher from working in the market and he placed a curse on the city. In 1878, a cyclone leveled the market leaving only the pillar standing. A year later, when construction on a new market began, the pillar was bought for $50 and moved it to its current location. When the street was widened and two men tried to move the pillar, they were struck by lightning!
Fact 10: Amen Corner? Augusta is home to Springfield Baptist Church, the oldest independently formed African-American congregation in the United States with an unbroken record of existence!
