''The Augustas'' (filmed in the 1930s and the 1940s) is a
home movie
A home movie is a short amateur film or video typically made just to preserve a visual record of family activities, a vacation, or a special event, and intended for viewing at home by family and friends. Originally, home movies were made on ph ...
made by Scott Nixon, a traveling insurance agent from
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...
and an avid member of the Amateur Cinema League who enjoyed recording his life and travels on film. It lasts approximately 16 minutes.
The
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
documents approximately 38 cities, towns, and locations named "Augusta" across the
Eastern
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
,
Midwestern
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Arranged in no specific order, the film strings together brief scenes and shots of these communities, indicated through
intertitle
In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...
s,
postcard
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
s, or the point of a pencil on a train timetable or road map. The scenes vary, ranging from street scenes and landscapes to shots focusing on local businesses,
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
s,
train station
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing s ...
s, business signs, street signs (typically town signs or
fingerpost
A fingerpost (sometimes referred to as a guide post) is a traditional type of sign post primarily used in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, consisting of a post with one or more arms, known as fingers, pointing in the directio ...
s), and prominent buildings in each town, most of which usually have "Augusta" featured.
Nixon recorded ''The Augustas'' using both 8 mm and
16 mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...
movie cameras loaded with both black-and-white and color film stock. Throughout his life, Nixon recorded over 76,000 feet of film. His work, including ''The Augustas'', currently resides in the collection of the University of South Carolina.
Nixon later made a similar film, ''Augustas of the USA'', around the 1960s. Approximately 5 minutes in length, ''Augustas of the USA'' features significantly less "Augustas", with many appearing in name only, but includes new footage, including aerial views from a small plane and scenes in Augusta, Georgia.
"Augustas" featured
*
Augusta, Kansas
Augusta is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 9,256.
History
19th century
The confluence of the Whitewater River and the Walnut River was originally inhabited by Osage pe ...
*
Augusta, New Jersey
Augusta is an unincorporated community located within Frankford Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area 07822 was 887.
*
Augusta, Indianapolis, Indiana
Augusta is a neighborhood in Pike Township, Marion County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It was formerly a small village that later had a post office and general stores.
History
Augusta was settled when the Michigan Road was completed. It bec ...
* New Augusta,
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
*
Augusta, Missouri
Augusta is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 253 at the 2010 census. The city boasts wineries, antique shops, restaurants, B&B's, a wood shop, a glass studio, massage therapy, a historic museum and The Au ...
Augusta, Arkansas
Augusta is a city in Woodruff County, Arkansas, United States, located on the east bank of the White River. The population was 2,199 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Woodruff County.
Geography
Augusta is located at (35.286 ...
Augusta, Kentucky
Augusta is a home rule-class city in Bracken County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is sited upon the southern bank of the Ohio River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,190. When Bracken County was organized in 1796, Augusta wa ...
*
Augusta, Michigan
Augusta is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 885 at the 2010 census. The village is mostly within Ross Township, though a small portion extends south into Charleston Township.
Augusta is situated ...
Augusta, Ohio
Augusta is an unincorporated community in eastern Augusta Township, Carroll County, Ohio, United States. It has a post office with the ZIP code 44607. It lies along State Route 9. The community is part of the Canton– Massillon Metr ...
Augusta, Minnesota
Augusta is an unincorporated community in Carver County, Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 mill ...
Fort Augusta
Fort Augusta was a stronghold in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the upper Susquehanna Valley from the time of the French and Indian War to the close of the American Revolution.
The fort was erected by Colonel William Clapham in 1756 at a ...
,
Sunbury, Pennsylvania
Sunbury is a city and county seat of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, just downstream of the confluence of its main and west ...
*
Augusta, Iowa
Augusta is an unincorporated community situated on the Skunk River in Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. It is located 10 miles southwest of Burlington and nine miles north of Fort Madison, off U.S. Route 61
U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highwa ...
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...
*
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...
*
New Augusta, Mississippi
New Augusta is a town in Perry County, Mississippi. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 644 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Perry County. New Augusta is located about two miles ...
* Augusta,
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Avoyelles (french: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the
Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,07 ...
Iberville Parish, Louisiana
Iberville Parish (french: Paroisse d'Iberville) is a parish located south of Baton Rouge in the U.S. state of Louisiana, formed in 1807. The parish seat is Plaquemine. At the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 33,387, and 30,241 at the 2020 ...
*
Augusta, Montana
Augusta is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States. The population was 309 at the 2010 census and rising to 316 in the 2020 census. The most accepted version in the naming o ...
National Film Registry
On December 19, 2012, ''The Augustas'' was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".