Old Government House, Augusta, Georgia

“Whatever good things we build end up building us.”

Jim Rohn

I walked up the brick walkway to the front door of this beautiful Federal style two story brick home and was very impressed. I was taken with how beautiful it is with the lovely ornate iron work and all the wonderful details of this magnificent piece of architecture. It really is something to see. I walked up to the porch but it was not open so I had to admire this amazing building from the outside. Joe and I had been there before for a wedding and remembered its beauty then and remembered thinking what a wonderful place to have a reception. It only has seating for 77 so it would be a small reception but you could have as many as 283 standing. The wedding we went to had seating and it was set up just beautifully.

On the walk up to the building, I noticed how green the grass was and how the front garden was beautifully landscaped. I realized this would be a great place to get married outside. I imagined walking down the brick path and get married on the front porch with the ornate iron work. What a lovely wedding it would make and in such a lovely setting.

The Old Government House was built in 1801 and is one of the oldest public buildings in Augusta. It was used as the courthouse in Richmond County from 1801 to 1821. The government sold the building to a former mayor, Samuel Hale who made this into his own elegant home. At that time he stuccoed over the brick, added the balcony, trimmed the windows, and added the iron work. After him there were many others who bought this property. There was Colonel Paul Fitzsimmons who was a Charleston ship magnate, Colonel James Gardner who was the Editor of Augusta Constitutionist, and James Gregg son of the founder of the Graniteville Mills.

In 1877, Dr. Eugene Murphey bought this house for his family and lived here for 75 years. He was a physician, writer, professor at the Georgia Medical College, and an avid ornithologist. The Dr. sold the property in 1952 which was the year of his death to the Augusta Junior League. This organization used this home as a reception facility until the 1970’s.

The City of Augusta purchased the property in 1987 and they hired an architect to renovate the Old Government House into a reception hall. The rooms in the home are elegant and it stills have all the historic and charming beauty. This building is just stunning and a must to see.

To get to the Old Government House you go down Telfair Road in downtown Augusta and turn onto Courthouse Lane. This is a neat cobblestone road that just perfectly sets the stage for this historic building. The lane is tree lined with historic homes that are not quite as old but still nice to see. You can park in the back of this building. There is a nice walkway with quiet sitting area to the back which is beautiful.

There is a huge old Ginkgo tree on the side of this house that is thought to have been planted in 1791 to commemorate George Washington’s visit to this site. It is huge. I had no idea they could grow that large. Beautiful.

If you are in Augusta, Georgia, put this on your list of places to see; just another part of our fair cities history. Till next time. God Bless.