On Walton Way sits a stately Antebellum home that has quite an interesting history.
The Greek Revival home, located at 2249 Walton Way, was once known as “Montrose,” and was built by Robert Alexander Reid in 1849.
Not much is known about Reid except that he was a wealthy merchant and a Presbyterian layman. According to Joy and Reab Berry, parishioners and historians of Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church, Reid gifted, in his will, a tract of land next to Montrose along with $8,000, which is $230,000 in today’s money, for the building of the church.
“That area of land was known as the “potato patch,” Reab Berry said.
Meanwhile, in 1877, Montrose itself was purchased by Col. Charles Colcock Jones Jr. who was an ardent secessionist and the mayor of Savannah at the start of the Civil War. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, Jones participated in the Siege of Savannah but was left financially ruined by the war.
After settling in Summerville, Jones turned his attention from law to history. He eventually became known as the preeminent historian of Georgia, releasing over 100 books in his lifetime.
Montrose would stay in the Jones family until a terrible tragedy transformed the building into what it is today.
Alan Fuqua was the son of prominent Augusta businessman and radio/television pioneer, J.B. Fuqua. The family worshiped at Reid Memorial.
Jim McKnight was childhood friends with Alan Fuqua and has fond memories of the young man.
“He was a super guy and never met a stranger. He was a lot like his parents in that he didn’t put on airs. You would never have known how wealthy the family was. We went to church summer camps together, and he was just a great kid,” McKnight said.
Fuqua, a rising sophomore of UGA, was killed along with three others in a plane crash in the summer of 1970. He was only 18 years old.
J.B. Fuqua and his wife Dottie were devastated at the loss of their son. However, the tragedy would have the ironic twist that it forced the elder Fuqua to face his own mental disorder of depression that plagued him throughout his life.
In his book, J. B. Fuqua: How I Made My Fortune Using Other People’s Money, and in subsequent interviews, Fuqua said part of coping with his son’s death was to seek medical treatment for his condition.
In 1973, Fuqua purchased Montrose and turned the building over to Reid Memorial. The building was renamed the Alan Fuqua Center, and it now serves as the youth building for the church.
According to Becky Godbee, communications liaison for Reid Memorial, Fuqua would likely be very proud to see the home now as it caters to teens and young adults.
The building also serves as host to Young Life Augusta, a youth mentoring organization.
Most of the historic home remains the same as it looked in years past, with the ornate chandeliers intact as well as the original fireplaces. The church has added a small kitchen and a movie theater located in the ground floor.
“We hold coffees for the kids, we show movies, and there are always games and activities,” Godbee said.
…And that is something you may not have known.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
