Historic Ga. home suffers partial collapse

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — One of Georgia’s oldest surviving houses has partially collapsed.

The Augusta Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/pEFuj1) that the chimney on the west wall of the Goodale House collapsed on Friday, taking a good portion of the wall with it.

Erick Montgomery, the executive director of Historic Augusta, said he’s hopeful the home can be home restored. City officials were trying to contact the current owner, Wes Sims, a Birmingham, Ala. investor.

The home was built in 1799 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The surrounding area was a 500-acre plantation established by Thomas Goodale in 1740. It was sold to Charleston, S.C., merchant Christopher Fitzsimmons, who later gave the structure to his daughter’s new husband. A son, Wade Hampton III, would later become governor of South Carolina.

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Information from: The Augusta Chronicle , http://www.augustachronicle.com