Augusta

History

Augusta was founded in 1832 by Joel Catlin and W.D. Abernathy, who was the village's first postmaster. Catlin named Augusta after having a memorable visit to Augusta, Georgia. On September 18, 1858, soon-to-be President Abraham Lincoln visited Augusta, where he gave a speech and stayed at the home of Elder James Stark. Previously, Lincoln's opponent in the historic Lincoln–Douglas debates, Stephen A. Douglas, had spoken in Augusta. In 1864, Congressman James Garfield (the future president) spoke in Augusta on behalf of Lincoln. Other notable visitors include William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt in the fall of 1900. Only Roosevelt gave a short speech on his trip through Augusta during the campaign.

Geography

Augusta is located in southeastern Hancock County. Illinois Route 61 passes through the village, leaving to the west as Main Street and to the north as Center Street; Bowen is to the west, and Plymouth is to the north. Augusta's Main Street continues east from the center of town as Illinois Route 101, leading to Weinberg-King State Park and to Littleton. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Augusta has a total area of , all land.

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  94
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  79
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  79
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  74
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  72
• Indigo Bunting

  Passerina cyanea (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  69
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  66
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  65

Largest nearby schools

• Southeastern Elementary School
  Elementary · Bowen · 251 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Southeastern Jr/Sr High School
  High · Augusta · 203 students · 16.9:1 ratio