Note: Excerpt from an article submitted by Marti Martin of the Woodford Co. KY, Historical Society, from the Hamilton, Ohio, Journal—The Daily News, Thursday, Feb. 11, 1971.
“You Can Walk Through History in Augusta, Ga.
Cost $40,000
In the same block is ‘Ware’s Folly,’ built in 1818 by Nicholas Ware. The residence gained its’ nickname because of the cost — $40,000 in the days when a dollar was really worth a hundred cents.
During the the Civil War, the window weights in the house were sent to the Confederate Powder Works & made into 2,000 of bullets. The Marquis de Layfette danced the minuet here at a ball given in his honor during his 1825 visit to Augusta. The house is now the Gertrude Herbert Memorial Institute of Art, used for classes and exhibits.”
“Built in 1818 for the exorbitant sum of $40,000, Ware’s Folly was an architectural first for Augusta. This grand Federal-style house was built under the strict direction of Nicholas Ware, mayor of Augusta and U.S. Senator. The home’s fluted pilasters, three-story elliptical staircase, and elegant bay windows served as tourist attractions then, and still enthrall visitors today.”
From the Gertrude Herbert information site on-line.
Look at what Nicholas Ware got for only $40,000.00. Inflation sure has hit us hasn’t it? There’s no telling how much it would cost today to build a house as stury and as complete as this one.
C. Wayne Ware
Cedar Falls, IA