Augusta, GA
George Washington slept here: First president visited Augusta in 1791
Video: History of the Signer’s Monument
Interested in learning more about Georgia’s history for America’s 250th anniversary. Look no further than Greene Street and the Signer’s Monument.
George Washington slept here.
At least 17 current or former U.S. presidents have visited Augusta over its long history, beginning with the nation’s first chief executive.
Washington’s Southern Tour from March to June 1791 was punctuated by parades, speeches, and other celebrations in which residents at each stop displayed the utmost hospitality.
And Washington recorded it all – some of it, anyway – in his personal diary.
On May 18, 1791, Washington’s entourage, continuing from Savannah to Augusta, ate breakfast at an inn on the banks of McBean Creek, “15 miles from Waynesborough,” owned by Revolutionary War veteran James Fulcher.
Four miles from Augusta, Georgia’s capital at the time, Washington was greeted by a delegation of dignitaries led by Gov. Edward Telfair and George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Washington “was escorted into the Town, and received under a discharge of Artillery,” he wrote. A meal and a tea followed at Telfair’s Grove plantation, “with many well dressed Ladies.”
He also wrote about “between 60 and 70 well dressed ladies” at an assembly at the Academy of Richmond County on May 19. On May 20, he was given a tour of ruined British battlements from the Patriots’ recapture of Augusta in 1781.
“The town of Augusta is well laid out with wide and spacious Streets,” Washington wrote in his May 20 diary entry. “It stands on a large area of a perfect plain but it is not yet thickly built tho’ surprisingly so for the time.”
In the decades after Washington’s visit, a rumor persisted that while he was in Augusta, the president buried one of his favorite greyhounds, supposedly named Cornwallis after the defeated British general.
“At some time during those three days, President Washington had the sad duty of burying his favorite greyhound,” longtime Augusta historian Edward Cashin wrote in his 1980 book “The Story of Augusta.”
Longtime Augusta Chronicle columnist pointed out years later that the 1892 newspaper article supposedly documenting the burial was dated April 1 – April Fool’s Day.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – VA Augusta and the American Legion Riders held a Memorial Day ceremony Sunday morning to honor service members who died in military service.
The Ride 2 Remember event took place at 11 a.m. at the VA Augusta Uptown campus at 1 Freedom Way. The ceremony included a motorcycle tribute ride and wreath-laying.
Thomas Pinckney, senior department vice commander for the American Legion Department of Georgia, said Memorial Day serves a specific purpose for veterans.
“Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for our fallen comrades, the ones that didn’t make it back home,” said Pinckney, who served 20 years in the military. “A lot of people say Memorial Day is a day to have barbecues and have parties or what have you. But for a veteran, that’s not what it’s about.”
Pinckney said the holiday is often confused with Veterans Day.
“People sometimes forget what Memorial Day is, and Memorial Day is for the dead, and Veterans Day is for the living,” he said. “We want to make sure that we honor the people that gave that ultimate sacrifice.”
Casey Zwirtz, acting associate director for VA Augusta, said the event brought together multiple groups to support veterans.
“It’s very important for us as the VA to be able to celebrate Memorial Day and celebrate those that had fought for us and died,” Zwirtz said. “We were here to pay our respects to them and to even to those that are still uniformed and those that have hung them up.”
The VA’s volunteer services collaborated with the American Legion Riders to organize the event. Zwirtz said the ceremony allows veterans to support each other and remember those who have died.
“I think that veterans are excited to be here and be able to support each other and be able to provide comfort and remember those that have fallen and be able to continue their legacy long term,” Zwirtz said.
VA Augusta inpatients, staff, community veterans and American Legion Riders attended the ceremony.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The U.S. Senior Men’s Over-40 National Team is wrapping up its official training camp in the Augusta area this weekend as players prepare to compete in the Seniors World Cup in Thailand.
The team has been training at Lions Memorial Field Stadium in Riverview Park since Thursday and will conclude Sunday.
The camp has included a youth soccer clinic where more than 60 local kids participated in coaching sessions and skill development activities with national team players and staff.
The team also took part in friendly scrimmages against the Augusta UPSL team and the Fort Gordon base team at Lions Memorial Field Stadium.
The roster is made up of Over-40 players from across the country, many with collegiate or professional playing experience, as well as military veterans.
Head Coach David Jones, who resides in Augusta, is the former American Samoa National Team head coach and will be leading the squad into his second Seniors World Cup campaign.
The team will compete in the Seniors World Cup in Thailand from June 1 to June 6.
Throughout the year, the program competes in tournaments nationwide that serve as player identification and recruitment opportunities.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — The Augusta Housing Authority is opening its waiting list for public housing.
This applies to 2-bedroom units only.
Applications will be accepted online only through Monday, August 31, 2026, at 5 p.m.
Applicants must apply through the Augusta Housing Authority website at www.augustapha.org.
The agency says applicants will be placed on the waiting list based on preference and the date and time the application is submitted.
Anyone needing help due to a disability can call (706) 312-3113 or (706) 312-3121, or use TDD 706-724-0130.
The Augusta Housing Authority says it is committed to fair housing and equal access regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, or age.
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