Augusta History

A glimpse of history

Augusta is a small, picturesque community of approximately 1200 residents situated on the banks of the Ohio River in northeastern Kentucky, 45 miles southeast of Cincinnati and 15 miles west of Maysville, Kentucky. Maysville is the largest city and commercial center of the Outer Bluegrass region. Augusta was founded on a broad, alluvial floodplain bounded by Bracken Creek to the east, Little Turtle Creek to the west, and a backdrop of steep hills to the south. The relative breadth of the floodplain allowed the town to expand more readily than many of its densely settled driver neighbors, notably Maysville and Ripley, Ohio. 

After the Revolutionary War, Captain Philip Buckner was awarded a land grant by the State of Virginia to reward his service. After making his first visit to the area in 1781, Buckner returned fifteen years later with 40 other families to settle in the town he called Augusta (named, it is believed, in honor of his home in Augusta County, Virginia). At Buckner's request, a meeting was held to choose town trustees, and he deeded over to them the 600 acres on which the city is located. On October 7, 1797, the Kentucky Legislature issued the town its charter.

Augusta served as the seat of government in Bracken County until 1839 when it was permanently relocated to Brooksville. The first court session was held in a log house built in 1803 and still stands today at the corner of Parkview and Third Streets.  The historic 1811 Jail, believed to be Kentucky's oldest jail remaining on its original foundation, is located near the location. Augusta's landmark development first occurred along the riverfront (Water Street) near the ferry and public landing. By the 1820s and 1830s, houses and public buildings of considerable size had been built around the courthouse and college squares. The postbellum expansion extended the town limits south and eastward until 1884 when a substantial portion of the community as it now exists had been formally developed. The present-day municipal limits, which include large areas of undeveloped land, correspond almost precisely to the town boundaries of a century ago.

Currently, three listings in Augusta have been entered in the National Register of Historic Places. The most prominent and familiar nomination is the Water Street (Riverside) Historic District (National Register 9/24/75). The Riverside Historic District consists of a linear-shaped assemblage that contains approximately 25 buildings, most of which face the Ohio River. A second listing, the Augusta College Historic Buildings (National Register 2/20/80), consists of two early nineteenth-century buildings associated with Augusta College. These two buildings are included within the boundaries of the proposed historic district. The third property listed in the National Register, Abraham Baker's Wine Cellar (National Reg. 12/30/74), is located near the edge of Augusta above Bracken Creek. 

Augusta in 1844