The Savannah River and its tributaries drain more than 10,000 square miles of an area that receives some of the heaviest rainfall on the continent.

Augusta's location on a low bluff at the Fall Line of the river has made the city particularly susceptible to seasonal flooding throughout its history.

As one example, a flood recorded in January 1796 destroyed several tobacco warehouses and the public wharf. A freshet of more devastating consequence occurred in 1840, when torrents of rising water and floating debris washed away the two bridges over the river.

In 1888 raging waters five to ten feet deep pushed houses off their foundations. Boats were poled through the streets like "gondolas on Venice canals."

Again, in 1908 waters swelled to the first stories of homes. As one elderly resident remembered later, "We jacked up the piano, sent the milk cow to higher ground, and retired to the second floor."

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Show me all markers in:  Augusta, GA  |  Richmond County  |  30901  |  Georgia  |  United States of America

Cotton
Founding of Augusta
The Levee
William Bartram Trail
Great Indian Warrior / Trading Path
De Soto In Georgia
Indians
Industrial Heritage
A Memorial To Eli Whitney
The Great Fire of 1916

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