There is no doubt that Augusta is Georgia's second city. In fact, Sconyers Bar-B-Que probably adds enough bonus points to qualify Augusta as Georgia's first city. A Plantation Plate at Sconyers followed by a bucket of suds at the Whipping Post is a pleasant way to spend an evening.

I remember one 4th of July when Sconyers ran out of Barbecue before we checked into our rooms and we had to settle for hot dogs at the Carriage House. Hot dogs at the Carriage House on the 4th of July is like being thrown in the Brier Patch. Business was slack as everyone was at family picnics and we had three waitresses each to keep the Dogs and Suds coming. In addition, Old Kenny, no, not the turkey out at Smithonia, was back in Augusta playing Country with his band The South and they were rattling the walls.

I believe Kenny had a financial interest in the Carriage House at that time and it was a swinging joint. We even followed Kenny and The South to the Ramada in Charleston where either Financial Straits or Dire Straits had reduced them to playing Disco. No labor, however, is dishonorable and the Boys did a real mean Funky Town. An enemy is preferable to friends that abandon you in the bad times and a few Whiskey Sours mellowed the music out just fine. Those were the days my friend.

Augusta, however is Georgia's third city chronologically. I am aware that there is a misconception that Augusta was the second city in Georgia but I am afraid that the signed notarized documents do nor bear this out.

The good ship Prince of Wales sailed from Inverness, Scotland on October 18, 1735, under command of the intrepid Captain George Dunbar with one hundred and thirty Highlanders and fifty women and children. The Prince of Wales slipped into the Savannah River early in January 1736 and on February 22, 1736 the Highlanders were all ticky boo when General Oglethorpe inspected the Highland Company at Darian. The Highlanders were in full regimental regalia with claymores, side arms and targes.

Oglethorpe did make a decision in 1735 to lay out the town of Augusta as an upland trading post but he did not order Noble Jones to survey Augusta until June 14, 1736. Jones was dilatory, dilatory means he lollygagged around, in executing his assignment and the Carolina traders did not wait for a proper survey but set up shop as soon as they smelled a done deal. By the time Noble Jones started laying out Augusta the Highlanders were eating haggis and tossing the caber.

The confusion over the date of founding Augusta is due to William Stephens, later President of Georgia, Bishop Stevens and Coldcock Jones. Stephens is the probable source of the 1735 date for the founding of Augusta and he should have known better. He was there in 1736 and the town was not.

The error could be attributed in part to the calendar. New Years Day was March 25th in 1735 and the Julian Calendar was 11 days out of step with the Gregorian Calendar. Bishop Stevens and Coldcock Jones repeated Stephens' error in their popular history books as did the entire town of Augusta in a bicentennial celebration in 1935. The calendar was changed on September 2, 1752. January 1 became New Years Day and Wednesday September 2 was followed by Thursday September 14. The citizens rioted.