Augusta Canal Authority donates collection to Augusta Museum - WFXG FOX54 Augusta - Your News One Hour Earlier

The Augusta Museum of History is receiving a big donation from another local organization.

The Augusta Canal Authority is handing over thousands of salvaged documents from Augusta's early textile mills, mainly King and Enterprise Mills.

The collection includes handwritten ledgers, stock certificates, and thousands of business records, some dating back to the 19th century.

Augusta Museum Executive Director Nancy Glaser says it's an exciting glance at the businesses that helped build the Garden City.

"Business history is important to the fabric of any community," Glaser says. "Being able to have those records to give people an opportunity to do that research and to put that information together. Yes, it's absolutely worth keeping."

Augusta Canal Authority staff discovered the documents in a King Mill administrative office safe in 2010 during an inspection.

After the museum catalogs and conserves the materials, they will be available for study.