Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church and historic courtyard, Augusta, Georgia

“Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a goodly Christian weapon.”

Martin Luther

Saint Paul’s Church is a historic landmark located in downtown Augusta next to the Riverwalk and sits on the corner of Reynolds and 6^th Street. It is the oldest church in the Augusta area. The original church was built in 1749 by the Church of England on the original site of the old Fort Augusta, which was built during the Revolutionary War. This is the fifth church on this site. The first three church buildings were destroyed and then the fourth church was burnt during the fire of 1916. The present red brick church with magnificent double door was completed in 1919 and was designed by Henry Eyck Wendell in the Classical Revival Style with Doric Columns. It has seating inside for six hundred.

The original church was built out of half timber beside Fort Augusta but was burnt down during the American Revolutionary War. The fourth church that was built here was designed by John Lund in Colonial architecture. Unfortunately, that church was burnt to the ground during Great Augusta Fire in March 1916. Much of the church furniture was saved from this fire and is in the church still in use today. The only thing left from the first church was a Marble baptismal font that was brought from England in 1751 and is on display in the narthex.

The day I visited this church, it was after the visiting hours for the inside of the church, so I roamed the beautiful churchyard. It was a gorgeous fall day. The sky was a brilliant blue and the squirrels were having a ball chasing each other around this historic area. As I walked through the gates and into the courtyard, there were ancient tombstones all around. There are grave sites here that date back to the 1780’s which is old for the good old US. William Few, one of the signers of the US Constitution and George Mathews, a Georgia Governor and one who served on the US House of Representatives. There were two generals to note that are buried here as well. One was Joseph Wheeler who was a member of Saint Paul’s and a Confederate General James Longstreet who was raised in Augusta and confirmed at this church. For a time this churchyard was a burial place for slaves and free people of color until the remains were moved in 1825 to a newly opened cemetery named Cedar Grove. This cemetery was designated as a burial place for non-whites.

This was the site of Fort Augusta was built in 1737 by General James Oglethorpe and was an active fort during both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the French and Indian War, the small church was a refuge but was badly damaged by the refugees. Only after the war was a second church built. The British captured this fort in 1779 and was renamed Fort Cornwallis. Fort Cornwallis was taken over by General Andrew Pickens and Lt. Col. “Light-Horse Harry” Lee and forced the British Commander Lt. Col. Thomas Brown to surrender the fort on June 5, 1781. It was held by the Patriots to the end of the war in 1782 until it was demolished in 1786.

During this last siege, a thirty foot mayhem tower was built by the Patriots that looked down into the inside of Fort. The tower was a wooden structure that after is was built was filled with dirt. They put a six pound cannon on top as well as sharp shooters which kept the forts occupants busy. They had to dig trenches to protect themselves. Three hundred surrendered from the British garrison when the siege was over.

I continued walking around the church and headed to the back area near the Riverwalk. I saw a beautiful large granite Celtic cross memorial statue that was erected by Col. Dames on the site of Fort Augusta/Cornwallis.

The cannon that sits in front of the Celtic Cross statue was brought by General Oglethorpe from England in 1733 and was used at the fort. The cannon is damaged.

There is also brick work that shows where the Colonial Chapel was located as well as where the alter and pews. The landscaping in this area is stunning.

As I was leaving out the side entrance onto Sixth Street, I noticed a sign that marked another historic event and a sad one at that. Robert Forsyth was the first appointed Federal law enforcement officer that was ever killed in the line of duty. Forsyth was a Captain of the Light Dragoons in Henry Lee’s Calvary during the Revolutionary War. He was killed serving papers to Beverly Allen on January 11, 1794 and is buried in Saint Paul’s cemetery.

There was another historic marker stating President George Washington toured the remains of Fort Augusta and attended a ball with Governor Edward Telfair, John Twiggs, George Walton and 60 or 70 “well-dressed ladies.”

This is a great place to walk around and read about our history here in Augusta. I loved learning about the history and just seeing the beautiful property on this magnificent day. I hope to come back another time and get some inside pictures.