College Hill, also known as George Walton House, Harper House, or Walton-Harper House, is a historic house at 2116 Wrightsboro Road in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. It was built in 1795, and was the home

George Walton George Walton (c. 1749 – February 2, 1804), a Founding Father of the United States, signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Georgia and also served as the second chief executive of Georgia. Early life Wal ...

, a signer of the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ...

, from then until his death in 1804. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1971. and It is a private residence, and is not open to the public.

Description and history

The Walton House is located on the south side of Wrightsboro Road, about west of downtown Augusta. It is set on a secluded estate, all that is left of the it was originally associated with. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, clapboard siding, and a pair of brick chimneys near the ends. The main facade, seven bays wide, is adorned with a two-story veranda, the sections each consisting of a segmented arch supported by slender square columns. Entrances at each level are located at the center, with flanking sidelight windows and pilasters, and fanlight windows above. In 1787, the state of Georgia granted George Walton 100 acres outside Augusta for his services to the state. Walton had "College Hill" built on this land in 1795, moving there from

Meadow Garden Meadow Garden is a historic house museum at 1320 Independence Drive in Augusta, Georgia. It was a home of Founding Father George Walton (1749–1804), one of Georgia's three signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Walton was later e ...

. The house has been in the hands of his descendants (named Harper) since then. Walton served the state in a variety of important capacities: trained as a lawyer, he served in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

(1776–81) and in the Georgia militia, in whose service he was captured by the British during the 1778 Capture of Savannah. Exchanged and released, he was soon afterward elected

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...

, an office he held from November 1779 to January 1780. He also served as the state's Chief Justice, and in a second term as Governor 1789–80. He died at College Hill in 1804.

References

External links

* * {{National Register of Historic Places in Richmond County, Georgia National Historic Landmarks in Augusta, Georgia Historic American Buildings Survey in Georgia (U.S. state) Houses in Augusta, Georgia Houses completed in 1795 National Register of Historic Places in Augusta, Georgia

Description and history

See also

References

External links