Sometimes the only way to save a historic property is to move it to a new location, and that is what Historic Augusta, Inc. did on Sep. 7, giving a home built in the 1870s the chance at a new life.
The home, known as the Fordyce-Kennedy-Pritchard house was relocated from 2516 McDowell Street to 2489 East Avenue.
According to Jack Jones, preservation manager for Historic Augusta, Inc., it took roughly three hours for Fish Brothers House Movers of Eastman, Ga. to take the structure 400 feet to its new permanent home. The company will have to return to make final adjustments to the foundation.
“It was a real treat watching them do the work, it takes a very unique skill set to move a structure that old,” Jones said.
The house has a rather distinctive history as it was originally the residence for Isaac Fordyce, a Union soldier originally from the area of Virginia that broke off and became West Virginia at the onset of the Civil War. According to Jones, Fordyce was highly decorated in the war and was stationed at the Augusta Arsenal when it was reclaimed by the U.S. Army after the conclusion of the conflict.
The home was later acquired by Jackson Kennedy and stayed in the family for many generations.
“The home is what we call a contributing resource, that is, it was built before 1930 and is considered as contributing to the locally designated Summerville Historic District,” Jones said.
In January, despite the fact that the house is in the Summerville Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and pleas from Historic Augusta, Inc. to save the structure, the Augusta Historic Preservation Commission approved the home for demolition.
Historic Augusta, Inc. then partnered with local real estate businessman Ross Snellings to move the home to land owned by Snellings.
The Augusta Historic Preservation Commission approved the application to move the structure in May and that paved the way for Historic Augusta, Inc. to seek approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals allowing for the process to get underway.
According to Jones, Historic Augusta, Inc. put up the money from the group’s “revolving fund” to pay for the move, which cost tens of thousands of dollars. In the past, the group has used that fund with the Jewish Museum and C.T. Walker house projects.
This is not the first time Historic Augusta, Inc. has saved a historic building by moving it to a new location. In 2018, Historic Augusta, Inc. partnered with the Augusta Canal Authority and Atlanta Gas Light Company to move the historic Trinity A.M.E. Church to a new location near the Augusta Judicial Center.
To move the Fordyce-Kennedy-Pritchard house, Historic Augusta, Inc. had to obtain permission from landowner Glenn Cannon to move the house over his property and cut down a few trees in the process. Cannon readily agreed and says while the house does not look like much from the outside, it is in remarkably good condition given its age.
“It has those old tongue and groove joints, so it is as solid as it can be. It is going to be a beautiful restoration,” Cannon said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
