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I-TEAM: Hurricane Helene damages historic cemeteries in Augusta

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I-TEAM: Hurricane Helene damages historic cemeteries in Augusta


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – City leaders have focused hurricane recovery efforts on the living but Helene disturbed the dead, causing damage to cemeteries throughout Augusta.    

If you’re thinking about taking a stroll through any of the city’s historic cemeteries, let us stop you.   

They have all been shut down since the hurricane hit more than a month ago with no date in sight to reopen.  

They’re closed up, and people are locked out.  

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But revealed behind the rusted padlocks, barbed wire and crumbling brick walls are signs of history re-written by Hurricane Helene.   

Each step farther into the cemetery is anything but a place of rest. 

“This is the worst hit,” said Joyce Law, curator for Fitten Street Cemetary. 

MORE FROM THE I-TEAM:

From sunken remains of war heroes to movers and shakers, moved and shaken out of their final resting place. 

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“The historic Smiley family, they were entrepreneurs here in Sand Hills Historic District,” said Law.  

Some sites might look like they are out of a ghost story.  

“You can see a lot of the flags were snapped in half by the force of the wind,” said Law. 

The stories here belong on the pages of history books.  

“So, there are over 50 military veterans spanning from the Spanish-American War through Vietnam,” she said.  

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Law’s own military career prepared her to uncover the lost history buried at Summerville cemetery — Fitton Street cemetery. 

“Back in 2018 when I was collecting information for World War One memorials, I just made a promise that when I had more time, I would devote my time to this cemetery because there is so much history here that is not documented for the general public,” said Law. 

Augusta-Richmond County’s website states that not much is known of this cemetery except that supposedly 12 Black Summer Hill residents bought the land in 1906 for a Black cemetery. The location of the record book is unknown or if it even exists.  

But through military records and oral histories from family members, Law was able to uncover more. 

She’s been piecing together the incredible history of the Sand Hills community.  

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“Borkin Wright was the state attorney general at one time and where he lived his home is utilized now on the Summerville campus of Augusta University and there are a number of the estate workers that are buried here at the cemetery, so we are looking at the 1870s forward into the 1950s,” said Law.  

The men and women of the historic Sand Hills community not only served their influential neighbors but built Augusta and the system for Black Augustans to prosper. 

“To the left that is James Magnect. He is second generation general contractor, and he was one of the chief stone masons for the sluskey building which is now the headquarters for RW Allen,” said Law. 

“The gentleman that we are going to, Afra Barrington, was one of the charter directors for the penny savings and loan,” she said. 

“Thomas J. Walker is one of the founding members of the Tribunal Life Insurance Company. This is his older brother Rev. Samual Walker. He was the third pastor at Elim and Walker Baptist Institute.” 

She’s been uncovering the stories buried under these unmarked graves for the past six years.  

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“So, we have a lot of tremendous stories of wealth and achievement as well as some heartbreak,” said Law. 

ANOTHER I-TEAM INVESTIGATION:

She felt her own heartbreak when she saw the destruction by Hurricane Helene.  

“I thought about all of our work that had just been done that had been obliterated,” she said. 

The Fitton Street Cemetery is privately owned, but Augusta-Richmond County maintains it.   

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The city itself owns five cemeteries, all of which have yet to reopen since the Hurricane hit more than a month ago. 

“Then I thought about it because we had been working on it, other people will say yes. This is a valuable piece of Augusta history that we need to continue to maintain and celebrate,” said Law. 

But the story of Summerville Cemetery Fitton Street has only just begun.  

The mayor does not yet know how much it will cost to repair the city’s cemeteries, like at Magnolia, but he’s hopeful FEMA will help out.   

Fitten Street is another story though. It’s privately owned.   

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The cost estimate for the repairs is at $50,000. 



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It’s a boy! Scottie Scheffler arrives at Masters with 9-day-old son and a game he hopes is ready | Texarkana Gazette

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It’s a boy! Scottie Scheffler arrives at Masters with 9-day-old son and a game he hopes is ready | Texarkana Gazette




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MASTERS ’26: Key anniversaries over the years at Augusta National

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MASTERS ’26: Key anniversaries over the years at Augusta National


AUGUSTA, Ga. — A look at some of the anniversaries this year at the Masters:

75 years ago (1951)

Winner: Ben Hogan

Score: 70-72-70-68—280

Margin: 2 shots

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Prize: $3,000

Runner-up: Skee Riegel

Key to win: Hogan started the final round one shot behind Riegel and Sam Snead and shot 68 without making a bogey.

In this April 12, 1976 file photo, Jack Nicklaus, right, assists Raymond Floyd in putting on his green jacket after Floyd won the Masters Golf Championship at Augusta, Ga. Credit: AP/Anonymous

Noteworthy: Hogan won his second major after his near-fatal car accident. The following year, he wrote a letter to Augusta National co-founder Cliff Roberts suggesting a dinner for all the Masters champions.

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AP story: “Icicle-nerved Ben Hogan added a sensational flourish to one of the great comeback sagas in sports Sunday when he won his first Masters golf championship with a near-record 280. The gristly little man from Texas subdued Augusta National’s treacherous acres with a grim and meticulous last round 68, four under par golf that burned off all opposition. The 38-year-old National Open champion, winner of that crown twice and the PGA as many times, thus completed his slam of major American pro championships.”

50 years ago (1976)

Winner: Raymond Floyd

Score: 65-66-70-70—271

Tiger Woods reacts to his birdie putt on the 18th...

Tiger Woods reacts to his birdie putt on the 18th hole after winning the 2001 Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., Sunday, April 8, 2001. Credit: AP/DOUG MILLS

Margin: 8 shots

Prize: $40,000

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Runner-up: Ben Crenshaw

Key to the win: Floyd made birdie or eagle on every par 5 through 54 holes in building an eight-shot lead. He tied the 72-hole record held by Jack Nicklaus.

Noteworthy: Floyd joined Craig Wood, Arnold Palmer and Nicklaus as the only wire-to-wire winners of the Masters. There would not be another one until Jordan Spieth in 2015.

AP story: “Ray Floyd — never pressured, never pushed — took a casual little stroll through the Georgia piney woods this sunny Sunday, paused to strike the golf ball 70 times and ambled home with perhaps the easiest Masters victory of all time. Floyd, a 33-year-old one-time playboy turned solid, sober family man, won this 40th renewal of golf’s annual spring rite with a 271 total, 17 under par and matching the tournament record for 72 holes set by Jack Nicklaus in 1965. Only handsome young Ben Crenshaw — who gave a flock of giggling girls a little thrill when he hiked his britches above his knees to wade into the pond on the 16th hole — could generate any challenge at all and that was much too little, much too late.”

25 years ago (2001)

Winner: Tiger Woods

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Score: 70-66-68-68—272

Margin: 2 shots

Prize: $1,008,000.

Runner-up: David Duval

Key to the win: Woods was locked in a thriller with his two chief rivals, Duval and Phil Mickelson. They each made bogey on the par-3 16th and never caught up to Woods, who didn’t drop a shot over the last six holes. His second Masters title allowed him to hold all four majors at the same time.

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Noteworthy: Woods swept the four majors with a combined score of 65-under par and had at least a share of the lead after 13 of the 16 rounds.

AP story: “Slam or not, Tiger Woods was simply grand. With a heart-stopper at Augusta National punctuated with a birdie at the end, Woods claimed the greatest feat in modern golf Sunday by winning the Masters, giving him a clean sweep of the four professional majors in a span of 294 days. Woods closed with a 68, steady down the haunting back nine of Augusta National as David Duval and Phil Mickelson failed to harness the magic that has carried Woods to five of the last six majors. The only thing left to debate is what to call this remarkable feat. Purists argue that a Grand Slam is accomplished in a calendar year. Woods, emotionally drained after a relentless battle from start to finish, stayed out of the argument. “I won four,” he said.”

20 years ago (2006)

Winner: Phil Mickelson

Score: 70-72-70-69—281

Margin: 2 shots

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Prize: $1,260,000

Runner-up: Tim Clark

Key to the win: Mickelson had a one-shot lead and didn’t make a bogey until the final hole. Fred Couples had a 4-foot birdie putt on the 14th to pull within one shot and three-putted.

Noteworthy: After going more than a decade before winning a major, Mickelson won three of the last nine.

AP story: “Phil Mickelson is a Masters champion again, and now he’s making it look easy. Once known as a lovable loser who needed a dozen years to figure out how to win golf’s biggest events, Mickelson captured his second straight major Sunday at Augusta National, and this one was hardly a nail-biter. He closed with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Tim Clark, and his second green jacket in three years. There were no thrills for Phil, rather calculated shots that forced Fred Couples, Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh to try to catch him. Instead, they stumbled along with three-putts and a litany of other mistakes that allowed Mickelson to stroll up the 18th fairway already knowing how this major would end.”

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10 years ago (2016)

Winner: Danny Willett

Score:70-74-72-67—283

Margin: 3 shots

Prize: $1,800,000

Runner-up: Jordan Spieth and Lee Westwood

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Key to the win: Willett was five shots behind on the back nine when Spieth made bogeys at Nos. 10 and 11 and twice hit into Rae’s Creek to make a quadruple-bogey 7 on the par-3 12th. Willett shot 33 on the back with birdies on the 13th, 14th and 16th holes.

Noteworthy: Willett became the first Englishman to win the Masters since Nick Faldo in 1996. Willett played the final round with Westwood, who also would play the final round with the U.S. Open champion (Dustin Johnson) two months later.

AP story: “Jordan Spieth couldn’t bear to watch, turning his head before another shot splashed into Rae’s Creek. Moments later, Danny Willett looked up at the large leaderboard at the 15th green and couldn’t believe what he saw. This Masters turned into a shocker Sunday, right down to the green jacket ceremony. Spieth was in Butler Cabin, just like everyone expected when he took a five-shot lead to the back nine at Augusta National. Only he was there to present it to Willett, who seized on Spieth’s collapse with a magnificent round that made him a Masters champion.”

5 years ago (2021)

Winner: Hideki Matsuyama

Score: 69-71-65-73—278

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Margin: 1 shot

Prize: $2,070,000

Runner-up: Will Zalatoris

Key to the win: Matsuyama might have won this Saturday with a bogey-free 65 to build a four-shot lead. He led by as many as six shots but effectively sealed it when Xander Schauffele hit into the water on the 16th and made triple bogey. Matsuyama bogeyed three of the last four holes.

Noteworthy: The victory came 10 years after Matsuyama made his debut at Augusta National as the Asia-Pacific Amateur champion. Matsuyama was the first Masters champion since Trevor Immelman in 2008 to be over par in the last round.

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AP story: “Hideki Matsuyama delivered golf-mad Japan the grandest and greenest prize of all. Ten years after Matsuyama made a sterling debut as the best amateur at Augusta National, he claimed the ultimate trophy Sunday with a victory in the Masters to become the first Japanese winner of the green jacket. Matsuyama closed with a 1-over 73 and a one-shot victory that was only close at the end, and never seriously in doubt after Xander Schauffele’s late charge ended with a triple bogey on the par-3 16th. Moments before Dustin Johnson helped him into the green jacket, Matsuyama needed no interpreter in Butler Cabin when he said in English, ‘I’m really happy.’”



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Borovilos ties for 11th at Augusta National Women’s Amateur

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Borovilos ties for 11th at Augusta National Women’s Amateur


AUGUSTA, Ga. (KBTX) – AUGUSTA, Ga. (KBTX) – Texas A&M golfer Vanessa Borovilos finished tied for 11th after three rounds at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

The sophomore shot even par on the final day of competition, recording five birdies. She finished the event at 5-under 211.

Borovilos is the 24th-ranked amateur in the world and the third Aggie golfer to place in the top 15 at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She joins Cayetana Fernández García-Poggio and Jennie Park.

Texas A&M women’s golf hosts The “Mo” Morial at Traditions Club April 4-6.

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