Old Augusta Historic Site, Archaeological site in Perry County, Mississippi

Old Augusta Historic Site is an archaeological site in Perry County, Mississippi, where foundation remains and artifacts reveal traces of a former town along the Leaf River. Walking through the woodland, you can spot concrete and brick ruins scattered among the trees that once formed government, commercial, and residential districts.

Augusta was founded along the Leaf River in 1812 and served as Perry County's seat from 1818 until 1906. Its General Land Office made it a commercial and administrative hub, and in October and November 1833 it hosted one of the first public sales of Choctaw cession lands. After the Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City Railroad was built 2 miles south, the town moved to the line as New Augusta, and the old site was abandoned between 1902 and 1906.

Augusta hosted one of the first public sales of Choctaw cession lands, held in October and November 1833 alongside Clinton and Chocchuma. The town was also the setting for the 1850s trial and hanging of the outlaw James Copeland, and in the 1890s Davis Hawthorne was hanged there for the murder of his wife.

The site lies in woodland off the Leaf River in Perry County, where the ground between the trees is uneven and partly covered by brick and concrete rubble. Sturdy shoes help; bring insect repellent and water, since there is no shade structure or on-site facility. The Old Augusta Railroad built in 1983 runs nearby.

In 1983 Georgia-Pacific built the Old Augusta Railroad to haul products from the Leaf River Cellulose mill constructed next to the old townsite. The line runs beside ground where brick and concrete rubble is all that remains of Augusta's buildings.