The Importance of the River
By the time the first Europeans settled in the North Augusta area in the early 1700s, it was clear that the Savannah River was both their livelihood and their connection to the outside world. They fished the river, as their Native American neighbors did, and traveled its waterways to reach hunting grounds and upriver trading communities. All the while, they never lost sight of how powerful the river was in their lives.
The Augusta Canal
DID YOU KNOW?
The canal is listed on The National Register for Historic Places, a National Landmark, and is one of our nation’s National Heritage Areas.
As their descendants prospered and built larger communities, they began to settle farther upriver. Large trading vessels could not navigate upstream past the shoals. To overcome this obstacle, the Augusta Canal was built in 1845. Commerce between South Carolina and Georgia depended upon being able to cross the river. Initially, settlers on the South Carolina side had to paddle, row, or sail across the river. Several ferries were established to haul goods, people, and animals. The first permanent bridge across the river was built in 1814, near what is now Fifth Street in Augusta.
Flooding
DID YOU KNOW?
In the early 1900s, annual floods often covered much of Augusta, leaving many people homeless. Most of North Augusta was usually spared because it lies at a higher elevation above the river.
Beginning in the 1800s, land cleared to plant cotton created a great deal of soil erosion, which kept rainwater from being absorbed. The increased sediment load in the water pushed the river beyond its normal banks. Massive floods began to occur regularly, and residents had to build levees to protect the towns.
Floods devastated many areas of North Augusta from the town’s founding until the middle of the twentieth century. (Image courtesy Charles E. Petty)
In 1845, the power of the Savannah River was harnessed into the longest lasting canal system in the southern United States. The Augusta Canal still serves its original purpose: power, transportation, recreation, and a wildlife refuge. (Image courtesy Augusta Canal Natural Heritage Area)
Like the Industrial Lumber Company, many establishments moved themselves from the old industrial area to higher ground. (Image courtesy Charles E. Petty)