On 6th Street beside Saint Paul's Church, this centennial marker stands in a quiet stretch of…read moresidewalk where the city's layers of history tend to overlap. The churchyard, the river a block away, and the older commercial buildings nearby all give the marker a sense of belonging, as if the Kiwanis story is just one more thread woven into Augusta's civic fabric. It is easy to pause here, read the text, and imagine the early twentieth century city that produced the club.
The marker reads, "Seventy one Augusta business leaders organized the Kiwanis Club of Augusta in early 1920, as a "force for advancement and striving for betterment along all lines of the city and its interests." Chartered by Kiwanis International on February 23, 1920. the Augusta Club follows the international principles of "fellowship, cooperation, and service." expressed in its motto. "We Build." Local attorney George B. Barrett, the first president, presided over the weekly meetings held in Saint Paul's Church Parish House near this marker. Each meeting provides a speakers' forum on current issues and an opportunity for fellowship among the members. Comprised of community leaders, the club has provided loans and scholarships for deserving students from its Scholarship Fund since 1953 and annual support for a variety of local charities through its Charitable Trust since 2003. The Augusta club continues these and other works, as one of the largest civic clubs in Kiwanis International." It was erected in 2020 by the Kiwanis Club of Augusta.
As a historical marker, it does a nice job of capturing both the institutional milestones and the human scale of the story. You can stand here and picture those early meetings in the Parish House, the sense of civic optimism in the 1920s, and the long arc of service that followed. There is room to stop and park nearby, making it an easy and worthwhile addition to a walking tour of downtown Augusta.
[Round number review 200 of 2026 - 902 in Georgia - 25389 overall]
