November 2010

Historic Augusta, Inc. is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the preservation of the historic-built environment of Augusta and its surrounding areas. Chartered in 1965, the organization has grown to over 1,500 members today. The offices are located at the historic Joseph R. Lamar Boyhood home. The organization offers several programs including, preservation assistance, advocacy, historic structures surveys, preservation programs, and annual meetings.

Visitors are invited to tour the Neel Reid designed home and historic Ferrell Gardens. The home includes 30 beautifully decorated rooms and sits on a serene 35-acre country estate. The structure of the home has been virtually unchanged since its established in 1916.

The actual building was once a Female Seminary, but it now houses the county museum. The variety of artifacts held there are meant to interpret life in Gwinnett county through the years. The museum also offers special programs such as lectures, historically themed adult classes and workshops, and guided tours.

Rhodes Hall has been an Atlanta landmark for generations. It is one of the few remaining mansions on Peachtree Street, and perhaps the most extravagant. The state of the home is very much the same as it once was at its establishment which is a remarkable treasure. The home's greatest feature is its original painted glass windows that depict the rise and fall of Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

Visitors can learn about the home's nationally significant architecture, technological advances, and artistic sophistication. Tours explore the historically prominent families including the Johnsons, Feltons, and Hays. Built prior to the Civil War, the Hay House is a memorable Georgia mansion, encompassing the beauty of an Italian Renaissance style residence.

Harry P. Leu Gardens features three miles of paved scenic walkways that take you through fifty acres of southern styled gardens including: America's largest Camellia collection outside California; three acres of idea gardens for weekend projects; the largest formal rose garden in Florida; a house museum dating from the 1880's; two acre tropical stream garden; vegetable and herb garden; butterfly garden; and palm, bamboo and cycad gardens.

The Hall of Fame seeks to maintain the high ideals and traditions of sports as a positive influence on the youth of Georgia, emphasizing sportsmanship, physical fitness, and leadership that sports teach. The newest exhibit portrays Sports Illustrated original artwork, reproductions of newspaper prints, and program covers.

The Davenport House was opened as a museum in 1963 and recently restored to its original 1820s state in 2003. The museum was recently recognized as a national historic preservation site by the Preserve America Presidential Award Committee.

The collection of American drawings, paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts represents nearly 300 years of artistic development. Objects are displayed chronologically by style to show the general evolution of American art form the colonial period to the present. The museum has also acquired some notable objects related to Columbus' history during the Radical Reconstruction era.

The SNCA maintains the Sautee Nacoochee Center, an environmental studies room, a nature preserve, and conference facilities. The most prized feature is the thriving cultural and community center housed in a restored schoolhouse, which offers a folk pottery museum, theatre, art Studio, dance Studio, history museum, and heritage site.