Augusta celebrates 266 years of history

AUGUSTA - Augusta Mayor Bob Young has signed a declaration that recognizes this Friday as the 266th anniversary of the city&#39;s founding. <br> <br> In an effort to draw attention to the city&#39;s history, Mayor Yound signed the proclamation Monday surrounded by local historians and mannequins dressed in Colonial garb. <br> <br> The Augusta Museum of History is home to an exhibit called ``The Augusta Story.&#39;&#39; It includes Colonial artifacts, including the original town plan drawn in 1736 by surveyor Noble Jones and a large picture of Georgia&#39;s founder, General James Edward Oglethorpe. <br> <br> Ed Cashin is Augusta&#39;s best-known historian. He says that on June 14th, 1736, General Oglethorpe issued orders to Jones to lay out the town of Augusta. <br> <br> He says many other Georgia towns established about the same time died out during the Western movement while Augusta survived, partly because of its access to the Savannah River and the fortitude of its people.