Early 20th Century

At the beginning of the 20th Century, Augusta's cotton trade had grown to such a point that the city was known as one of the greatest inland cotton markets in the world. Only Memphis shipped a larger volume east of the Mississippi. Almost a decade would pass before there was any noticeable change in the day-to-day life of the city's citizens.

In 1911 and 1912, three suburbs-Summerville, Harrisonville, and Nellieville-were annexed to Augusta. Expansion was not limited to the city's boundaries. Augusta already was developing a medical center which in later decades would become one of the finest in the Southeastern region. In 1911, the Medical College moved to Railroad Avenue and Harper Street, and shortly thereafter was ranked as a Class A institution by the American Medical Association. At that time few southern schools held that distinction. The University Hospital, adjacent to the Medical College, opened in 1914 and these two facilities formed the nucleus for the future medical complex that by the 1970's encompassed hundreds of acres.

Toward the end of this period, the United States entered World War I, and Augusta became a bustling town of soldiers when the new military cantonment, Camp Hancock, opened in 1917.

Provided by: Augusta Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau