05/20/14 Augusta GA

Augusta GA Museum of History

     Today we head inland toward Atlanta.  About sixty miles up the Savannah River lies Augusta GA, home to about 190,000 folks.  It sits on the border of Georgia and South Carolina.

Savannah River at Augusta

     Augusta started as a fur-trading post in the 1600's.  About ten years after starting the settlement at Savannah, James Oglethorpe sent Noble Jones up the Savannah River with orders to survey and establish a community as far up the Savannah River as was navigable.  

     At the heart of the original settlement a railroad trestle crosses the river, then runs right up the middle of one of the main streets.  This is the same one visible in the first photograph, where it runs by the Augusta Museum.

     Inside the museum are a number of neat relics.  Here is a horse drawn hearse from years back.

     Cotton gins were invented to speed the process of removing debris such as seeds and husks from the cotton fibers.  Here are a couple of early models.

     There are also several antique fire engines.  This one was made in 1869.

     And one from 1928.

     Now, this next display I found a bit disturbing.

    Yep, I remember when Lincoln Logs first came out.  I was five years old, and asked my dad for a set.  He said he was not wasting good money on something we could make ourselves.  We never made any...

     And come on, it was just a couple of years ago we were still using these phones, wasn't it?

     Yeah, we had that table and chair set.

     And record albums.  They are in museums now with descriptions of this primitive technology.  Sigh.  Next they are going to tell me cassette tapes are antiques.

     Now this next thing was neat.  Sitting behind a couple of railroad cars and an engine was this contraption.  It was called a "Velocipede."  It was used to inspect the railroad tracks, and utilized pedals like a bicycle along with a lever that you hand pumped to gain more speed.  

     There was a lot more displays, including this one depicting an old gas station.  One thing that has become a thing of the past is a full service gas station.  I don't think I have seen one in twenty years.

     Speaking of old gas stations, I took the back roads from Savannah to Augusta and saw at least a dozen abandoned old gas stations.  Here are a few of the more interesting ones.

     But out of all of those abandoned, there was one that was still open.  It is in pretty good shape too.

     I am not sure what happened to this section of rural Georgia, but gas stations are far from the only things abandoned.  There are "ghost towns"  all along the way.  This next town consisted of five historical markers and one remaining house.  This metropolis was founded in 1797 and was named Jacksonboro.  The signs tout various famous folks that came from here, along with the fact that George Washington was a guest here.

     This and an old dirt road is all that is left.

     I like the "economy" approach to the steeple on this church.

     And this wheel-barrow caught my eye.  It was literally a couple of miles from anything - just sitting by the road.  Someone put out effort to have a little patch of pretty in the midst of the corn and wheat fields.

     And today's parting shot is of 33 year old Riley.

     I heard him playing guitar, and had to approach and sit down a while. It wasn't until after enjoying his music for a while that I noticed he was missing his hand.  He was born without it, and learned to play guitar back about 13 years ago when he was in a treatment center for drug abuse.  He is clean today, and plays a mean guitar.  I was able to just drift away for a few moments as the sun set and Riley played.

Have an awesome Wednesday !!
David

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