Saint Paul's Episcopal Church
The coordinates take you to a beautiful, historical church in downtown Augusta. In 1735, General James Oglethorpe founded Georgia’s second city as a fortress and Indian trading center upriver from Savannah. This is the site of the first church in Augusta, and is also the site of Fort Augusta in 1749. The first church was destroyed during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). When rebuilt, the church became part of Fort Cornwallis until its destruction in 1781, in the Second Siege of Augusta, during the Revolutionary War. The Trustees of the Academy of Richmond rebuilt the third church on this property in 1789. This church was where the First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1804. Later, the congregation would build a new church on Telfair Street and move in, in 1812. The Episcopalian congregation would regain ownership in 1818. Robert Lund designed a new church which was completed and consecrated in 1821. The congregation grew and built a church school in 1843, with an orphanage added in the 1850's. During the Civil War, the property served as a hospital for the Confederacy.
The Great Augusta Fire of 1916 burned the fourth church, along with over 30 blocks of downtown Augusta and Olde Town. Fortunately, they were able to save some of the church furniture. Services continued to be held under a tent and at the courthouse until a new home could be built. The fifth church is the one we see here today. The exterior was designed to resemble church number four, Federal Style. The interior was redesigned in the Georgian style. The baptismal font is from the first church and many items rescued from the fire, from the fourth church, are still in use here today.
The cemetery has tombstones dating back to the 1780's. Many recognizable names, known to Augusta's history, are buried here.
There are services on Sunday and other events during the week so, please be aware of activities going on here and be respectful.
1. VIRTUAL STAGE 1: N 33° 28.560' W 81° 57.680' - you will find the cornerstone with dates on it. Give me both of the dates.
2. VIRTUAL STAGE 2: N 33° 28.543' W 81° 57.692' - will take you to the gravestone of one of the signers of the United States Constitution. Located on this marker are five words which describe this gentleman. What are they?
3. VIRTUAL STAGE 3: N 33° 28.556' W 81° 57.665'- will take you to a marker on the church wall. What is the date on the marker?
4. VIRTUAL STAGE 4: N 33° 28.587' W 81° 57.647' - takes you to a Celtic Cross which marks the site of Fort Augusta/Cornwallis. The damaged cannon was brought from England by General Oglethorpe. What is the date on the historical society marker?
5. The final waypoint -VIRTUAL STAGE 5:N 33° 28.593' W 81° 57.660' - takes you to a very interesting part of the grounds. What is depicted on the patio?
To get credit for this virtual, please send a message to the CO with your responses to the above questions.
If you get some good pictures of the grounds, please add them to your log but, it would be appreciated if you do not include any photos that show answers to any of the questions above. Enjoy the beautiful grounds around the church and its rich history. Information about the church came from the church website and the national park service website.
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.
*******FTF will be awarded by logging a find AND sending the correct answers First*********