Hampton Terrace Hotel

The hotel was part of James U. Jackson's plan for developing the resort town of North Augusta, South Carolina.[1] In April 1902, Jackson's youngest son ceremonially broke ground on the hotel, and the Woodward Lumber Company served as the general contractor's for the project.[2] The location for the hotel was a hill overlooking the surrounding area,[3] and it was later said that from the top floor, visitors could see sights from over 50 miles (80 km) away.[4] The hotel was originally planned to open by January 1, 1903.[2] That month, The Augusta Chronicle proclaimed the hotel "One of the Very Finest in the Country."[4] The hotel opened in December 1903 and was billed in advertisements as "The Most Magnificent Winter Resort in the World."[5] The project had cost over $500,000[3] and was reportedly the largest wooden structure in the world.[6]

The five-story, 300 room hotel was a large success upon opening, attracting several notable guests such as businessmen Marshall Field, Harvey S. Firestone, John D. Rockefeller, and President-elect of the United States William Howard Taft.[3] A banquet in Taft's honor was held at the hotel in 1909.[7] The hotel featured a 9 (later 18) hole golf course, a 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) game preserve, and other forms of entertainment, such as shuffleboard and ping-pong.[2] The second hole on the golf course, with a length of 593 yards (542 m), was considered one of the longest holes in the world at that time.[8] The hotel was open between January and May every year.[8]

In the early morning of December 31, 1916, a watchman discovered a fire on the fifth floor.[9] At 2:10 a.m., the fire department in Augusta, Georgia, across the Savannah River, received a call about the fire, and shortly thereafter, four companies were dispatched to the hotel.[10] By 3 a.m., the fire had spread and firefighters ordered an evacuation of the building.[11] The cause of the fire had been a short circuit with wiring on the third floor.[5] Witnesses at the time claim that the fire burned for about 5 hours, while the coal stored in the hotel's basement simmered for much longer.[12] Firefighting efforts were stymied by issues such as low water pressure and nonstandard waterhose connections.[10] At the time, the hotel housed about 100 staff members who were preparing the hotel for the upcoming season.[13] There were no serious injuries or fatalities from the fire.[11] The blaze completely destroyed the building, and while Jackson initially planned to rebuild the hotel, this never came to fruition.[14]

• Media related to Hampton Terrace Hotel at Wikimedia Commons
• Historical Marker Database