Augusta, GA
Augusta’s role in the American Revolution: An underdog story 250 years in the making
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – As the nation marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, one city’s contribution to that history remains easy to overlook.
In Augusta, local patriots and one of the youngest signers of the Declaration helped push the American Revolution forward — from a frontier colony set up as a buffer between South Carolina and Spanish-controlled Florida.
An unlikely signer from humble beginnings
Wedged between medical buildings on the edge of downtown Augusta sits Meadow Garden — the home of George Walton, one of Georgia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence.
“We were not an afterthought in the Revolution. We were a very important part of that Revolution,” said Ransom Schwarzer, director of Meadow Garden and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Walton’s path to that moment was anything but privileged. Schwarzer said Walton’s father died around the time of his birth, and by age seven he was fully orphaned.
“He didn’t have a fortune. He didn’t have that university education like Thomas Jefferson,” Schwarzer said. “He’s having to pull himself up and make his own way. He had to be incredibly determined.”
That determination carried Walton into politics and eventually into history. He became one of the youngest men to sign the Declaration of Independence.
“George is very distinct in coming from such humble backgrounds and making his own way at such a young age,” Schwarzer said. “He decided he was going to make a different life for himself.”
The battle to take Augusta back
Five years after the Declaration was signed, the British still controlled Georgia. Their troops were stationed at St. Paul’s Church in Augusta. Augusta patriots devised a plan to retake the city.
A marker along Reynolds Street downtown commemorates the Maham Tower — the key to how they did it.
“They actually build a tower — an earthen tower shored up with wood — haul their cannons onto the top of that tower, fire down into that fort, devastating it,” Schwarzer said. “And after a few days, the British will surrender and Augusta will be back in Patriot hands.”
That surrender came in June 1781 — months before the British formally surrendered at Yorktown.
Augusta’s place in the larger story
More battles were fought in South Carolina than in any other colony. What happened across Georgia and the Carolinas helped determine how the war ended and what the new country would look like.
George Walton is buried beneath the Signers’ Monument in downtown Augusta. Meadow Garden is hosting free America250 events this weekend, open to the public.
“We have a lot of possibilities now,” Schwarzer said. “Take what we have, make the best of it, and keep moving.”
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Meeting at the committee level Tuesday, Augusta commissioners took no action on proposed data center rules.
Instead, they sent the issue to the full commission with a deadline looming.
The current moratorium on new data centers expires July 21. If the full commission does not act by then, the freeze ends automatically.
The debate comes after months of complaints from neighbors about a proposed data center near Haynes Station, where residents have raised concerns about noise, lighting, and property values.
Planning Director Lisa Cameron said the proposed ordinance would place future data centers exclusively in heavy industrial zoning districts. She described it as a “living document” that can be updated over time as technology and community concerns change.
The Planning Commission did not recommend adopting the ordinance. Instead, it suggested the Augusta Commission consider extending the moratorium to allow more public discussion.
Commissioners debated whether to extend the moratorium by 30 or 60 days but could not agree. Both options would push a final decision to the August 18 commission meeting.
Cameron said staff’s recommendation remained adoption of the ordinance but said staff would support whatever direction the commission chooses.
Commissioners indicated they want any final ordinance to remain comprehensive — covering emergency management, utilities, fire, and engineering — rather than narrowed to zoning alone.
The proposed rules would apply only to future projects. The QTS data center already under construction on Gordon Highway would not be affected.
The full commission meets July 21 at 2 p.m. at the Municipal Building.
Zoning ordinance rewrite
Also as commissioners met Tuesday, Augusta’s Planning and Development Department asked for up to $68,368 more to finish the city’s comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite, along with a deadline extension pushing final adoption to November or December 2026.
The request moves to the full Augusta Commission next week. The additional funding would extend the contract with consultant White and Smith, LLC through the end of the year.
Cameron told commissioners Augusta’s current zoning ordinance dates to 1963 and has been amended piecemeal over the decades rather than comprehensively rewritten. She said after reviewing the consultant’s work, staff realized much of the existing language was simply being carried over rather than tailored to Augusta’s current needs.
Public outreach had been more limited than expected. Feedback from a recent meeting at Diamond Lakes showed many residents were unaware the zoning ordinance was even being rewritten.
The bulk of the additional funding — more than $34,000 — would go toward community engagement, including two more public workshops and a community survey.
The rest would cover an official zoning map and a future land use map, which were cut when the original contract was negotiated down from roughly $450,000 to about $327,000.
Planning and Development has since determined it does not have the staffing resources to complete that work internally.
Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle urged the department to include the Home Builders Association, commercial builders, and developers in the upcoming workshops, saying zoning changes can ultimately increase costs for homebuyers.
Adoption hearings are scheduled for Nov. 2 before the Planning Commission and Nov. 17 before the Augusta Commission.
Other items moved to full commission
Several additional items passed out of committee Tuesday without discussion and are set to go before the full Augusta Commission next week.
Augusta’s Housing and Community Development Department received approval to submit its FY2026 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, representing $3,852,829.39 in federal investment in housing and services for low- and moderate-income residents. The plan is due to HUD by Aug. 16. Approval also authorizes the Mayor to sign all required federal documents to finalize the submission.
Commissioners also approved a change order under RFP 25-242 to purchase an additional 50 light fixtures and accessories for the Charles B. Webster Detention Center in the amount of $54,400.
A request from Sheriff Eugene Brantley to purchase a $47,995 solar-powered mobile surveillance trailer for downtown Augusta also moved forward. The trailer is intended to fill coverage gaps in parking lots, side streets, and areas where permanent cameras are not in place as part of the Downtown Camera Project. The unit is mobile and can be relocated as needed. It includes three PTZ dome cameras, military-grade encryption, and is certified to operate on both Verizon and FirstNet/AT&T networks.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Multiple areas of Columbia County are reporting flash flooding Monday evening with more rain on the way.
Viewer video shows significant water on William Few Parkway near Windmill Plantation Neighborhood Park in Evans.
One resident said the flooding near West Lake Country Club swallowed their yard entirely — “Lost our dog fence to our new river,” they said.
Flooding has also been reported on Fury’s Ferry Road.
A stalled front parked over the region is bringing excess moisture and slow-moving storms, creating an elevated flooding threat — especially in areas already prone to flooding.
Steady rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue throughout the evening.
Drivers are urged to use caution and avoid flooded roadways. Turn around, don’t drown.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which
enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.
For any issues, contact enews@wfxg.com or call 706-650-5400.
-
Entertainment9 seconds ago‘Hail Satan? Not me.’ Charley Crockett fires satanic duo Twin Temple, so Jack White hires them
-
Lifestyle6 minutes agoIt’s time for the night trip to the beach — the grunion are running
-
Politics12 minutes agoAfter lawsuit, ICE pauses construction of Bay Area detention facility
-
Science18 minutes agoAnger grows in Boyle Heights as warehouse fire leaves stench, flies and vermin in its wake
-
Sports24 minutes agoSpain delivers surprise rout of France, clinches berth into World Cup final
-
World36 minutes agoUS says latest Iran strike wave over, IRGC claims damage to US Naval HQ
-
News1 hour agoSupreme Court Justices give chilling accounts of threats to their safety
-
Los Angeles, Ca3 hours agoStabbing at Chino Hills liquor store ends in attempted murder arrest
