Women of Augusta
The contributions of women in Augusta are many and varied, making Augusta the vibrant community it is today. Two such women are Octavia Walker La Vert and Lucy Craft Laney.
Octavia Walker La Vert
Octavia Walton La Vert, granddaughter of George Walton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born in 1810 at Belle Vue, the former Walker family plantation where August University now stands. She became a prominent writer and socialite, developing friendships with such well-known figures as Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, and Henry Clay. She is buried in the Walker Family Cemetery, formerly the grounds of the Augusta Arsenal.
Lucy Craft Laney
Lucy Craft Laney, born in 1854, founded the first school for black children in Augusta, Georgia in 1883. She was also the principal of the Haines Institute for Industrial and Normal Education for fifty years. She is one of three African-Americans to have a portrait installed in the Georgia State Capitol and has been inducted in the Georgia Women of Achievement. The Lucy Craft Laney Museum, located in Augusta, Georgia, honors her life and legacy.
Legacy
These two women represent the achievements of women in Augusta, Georgia. The Lucy Craft Laney High School, The Lucy Craft Laney Museum, and Meadow Garden House Museum (where Octavia Walker La Vert is prominently featured) demonstrate how women have enriched and improved the Augusta community.
Octavia Walton La Vert (By Thomas Sully - Historic Mobile Preservation Society, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18420746)
Lucy Craft Laney, American educator (By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33266755)