Tag: Revolution and Early Republic (1775-1800)

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Augusta Homes

CNBC recently ranked Augusta, Georgia the nation’s #1 city in which to buy a starter home. In case you are interested in moving to the Garden City, here is a look at some of Augusta’s historic homes (Sorry, they aren’t really for sale):

Circa 1900 postcard of Meadow Garden, home of Georgia Governor, United States Senator and Declaration of Independence signer George Walton. Walton lived in the house from 1792 until his death in 1804. The home still stands in Augusta as a museum. Found in Picturing Augusta: Historic Postcards from the Collection of the East Central Georgia Regional Library.

Photograph of the Ware-Sibley-Clarke House from April 1966. The home was originally built for Augusta Mayor Nicholas Ware in 1818. It today serves as the home of the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art. The home is sometimes referred to as Ware’s Folly because of the high cost of its construction. Found in Owens Library’s Historic Architecture and Landscapes Collection.

Image of Terrett Cottage circa 1909. It served as the winter home of President William H. Taft. After his election to the presidency in 1908, Taft and his family spent Christmas in Augusta (prior to moving into the White House). During his stay, the president-elect played golf  at the nearby Augusta Country Club. Found in the Vanishing Georgia Collection.

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The Bloody Letter — Native American documents

“When you see this letter stained with the blood of my husband …”

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Of the 1,000 or so original documents and visual images preserved in the Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842 collection, few evoke pathos for the Indians’ plight as “the blood-stained letter” – written by the widows of Creek leader William McIntosh – appealing to the U.S. government for help.

McIntosh was  killed by fellow Creeks opposed to the ceding of their sbiancamento denti land to the white settlers. In the letter, Peggy and Susannah McIntosh describe their dire situation and beg the officials to remember their pledge to assist and protect them. A description and transcription of the letter is available here, along with scans of the original.

Most of the documents, dated 1763 to 1842, are from the Cherokee tribe, but other tribes are represented, including Seminole and Creek. The documents include treaties,letters from tribal members,  letters to the tribes from state representatives, military orders regarding Native Americans and the first 18 months of the first newspaper published in a Native American language, the Cherokee Phoenix.

The significance of these documents extends beyond traditional political and diplomatic history into the daily lives of Native Americans and their new European neighbors. These collections testify to the richness and continued viability of Native American culture even as it was encroached upon and eroded by European settlement. Letters of complaint to white government officials from Native Americans demonstrate their ability to contend with European institutions with a resourcefulness that belies the commonly held stereotypes from that period of Indians as violent savages or helpless victims.

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