An 1820 Augusta birthday party ended with a gunshot

On June 11, 1820, William Skinner, a widely known native businessman and Revolutionary Struggle stalwart, invited his household over to have fun his birthday. As they gathered outdoors that Sunday and ready to eat, Skinner went again inside his residence, discovered his previous musket and fatally shot himself within the head.

Welcome to one of many extra uncommon tales in The Augusta’s Chronicle’s 240-year archive.

Two centuries later, we do not know why Skinner took his personal life, or why he’d invite the household over to share it. 

We do not know why the dying appears to have been missed by the newspaper till a month later when the passing of a widely known citizen is not directly talked about within the authorized notices involving the settlement of his property.

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We do not know why a fuller, extra descriptive story didn’t seem till a century later when The Chronicle revealed a graphic account, together with the element that Skinner used his toe to tug the set off.

We do not know an entire lot about Skinner, himself, however here is what we do know, because of analysis preserved within the archives of the Richmond County Historic Society.

Skinner could have been in Georgia earlier than the American Revolution, however returned to extra public discover after the battle the place his service as an officer within the North Carolina militia received him an honorary designation as “Main Skinner,” and numerous land bestowed in what’s now Screven County. It was in that area south of Augusta the place Skinner is alleged to have hosted George Washington briefly on the primary president’s 1791 tour.

Though energetic within the improvement of his new nation and his new county, Skinner apparently had a dread of malaria, and engineered a land swap, transferring north to Richmond County and a spot near as we speak’s Skinner Mill Highway. 

Skinner turned a justice of the peace and courtroom data point out he was an energetic and profitable businessman.

Then got here the lethal party.

“The report of a rifle was distinctly heard,” The Chronicle reported 103 years in a while June 4, 1923. “The company rushed to the home the place they discovered the Main useless. He had discovered remaining employment for the musket which he had shouldered and rammed throughout the fiery days of the Revolution, by releasing the set off along with his toe, he had discharged the load of shot, which handed via his head, inflicting on the spot dying.”

That account, loosely attributed to household lore, additionally talked about one other thriller – buried gold.

Once more, in response to The Chronicle in 1923 somebody “… noticed Main Skinner digging the evening previous to his dying. In the midst of a horrible thunderstorm, the previous gentleman buried a chest of gold.”

For the subsequent 25 years, The Chronicle mentioned, lots of “stormed the place” with “choose and spade,” forcing house owners to rent a watchman.

The gold was by no means discovered. Likewise, the supposed suicide was by no means defined. 

At the moment we’re left with a highway title and a tragic birthday story.

Invoice Kirby has reported, photographed and commented on life in Augusta and Georgia for 45 years.