Augusta, GA

Historic Augusta home opens up to the public on James Brown tour

Published

2 years ago

May 6, 2024

Historic Augusta home opens up to the public on James Brown tour

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A new stop has been added to the James Brown tour in Augusta.

It’s the first house his family lived in that James Brown bought for his father when they came back to Augusta. This, before moving to Walton Way and then over to Beech Island.

But this is a piece of history you can go inside; the family wanting to share a piece of their history with the world.

Walking inside is like you’re taking a step back in time.

“You’re not just standing in a home. This is history that happened in this home, and then a lot of the homes around here,” said Dr. Yamma Brown, James Brown’s daughter.

But the memories still feel fresh, almost everyone in James Brown’s family has memories here on Parkway Drive.

“From the late 60s all the way up until the 2000s at some point in time, somebody in our family was living in this home, and we were coming in and out of this home. So there are a ton of memories. Some we will say, some we will not,” said Dr. Deanna Brown Thomas, James Brown’s daughter.

And the history goes beyond the doors of the home.

“This is a home from the 60s, in an area that was not black, it was predominantly Caucasian. And so you have African American family that’s living here. And then not only my dad, but my grandfather, this being my grandfather’s home, coming from, you know, being like having nothing,” said Dr. Yamma Brown.

Some fans have been on the tour before and came back to be a part of the first tour allowed inside the space.

“I used to write letters to the editor for James Brown Boulevard being to be changed James Brown Boulevard. I used to send him birthday announcements in the newspaper. I used to send him Father’s Day gifts. All kinds of stuff. I was really into James brown, ”said Patrick Brissey, a James Brown fan.

Now it will hold even more memories outside of James Brown’s family.

“He would call me school boy…when he would see me. Now I listened to all the things that he did about education and so I got a PhD later on. I told him when I first met him, I was going to keep soul alive and he just busted out laughing. And so now I argue for the existence of a soul. And so it’s kind of cool to see keep the soul alive and that sort of thing,” he said.

For more information on taking the James Brown tour in Augusta, click here.

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Augusta, GA

From Augusta roots to Nighthawks leader: Nolan Belcher comes home

Published

6 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

From Augusta roots to Nighthawks leader: Nolan Belcher comes home

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)- Augusta University baseball is in a three-game series matchup against the University of North Georgia.

AU is currently down in the series 0-2 after a close loss Friday and a loss Saturday.

But we aren’t focusing on the Jags, we’re going to take a look at North Georgia’s head coach, Nolan Belcher.

He is an Augusta native who began his career at Greenbrier and Augusta Christian.

He won three state championships, which then led him to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

There he won back-to-back national championships and finished runner up in 2012.

His coaching career began after that where he eventually joined the Peach belt Confrence, coaching at USCA and GCSU.

Now in his first season as head coach for the Nighthawks, he is happy to come home and coach in front of his friends and family.

“I’m very fortunate that I got family that, one is still around and they can come watch me do what I love. And, they’ve shown me, nothing but support throughout my whole coaching career and even back on my playing dates are very thankful and appreciative for everything they’ve done for me.”

AU and UNG will have their final series match on Sunday.

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