HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 1 further entry on record
1818 Federal mansion that cost its builder $40,000—and reportedly still houses five of its former residents
506 Telfair St, Augusta, GA 30901
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Gallery admission; see website for current rates
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic building on flat urban block; main gallery floors accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1818 · Built 1818 by former Augusta mayor and U.S. Senator Nicholas Ware · National Register of Historic Places (ref. 73000641, added 1973) · Houses Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art since 1937 · Notable Federal-style architecture with three-story elliptical staircase
The mansion at 506 Telfair Street was built in 1818 for Nicholas Ware, who had served as Augusta's mayor and would go on to serve in the United States Senate. The construction cost of $40,000 in 1818 currency—roughly equivalent to $12 million in early 21st-century terms—was considered so excessive for the time that Augusta residents dubbed the property 'Ware's Folly.' The nickname has persisted for over two centuries.
Architecturally, the building is a significant example of the Federal style, distinguished by a three-story elliptical staircase that remains one of its defining interior features. It was included in the National Register of Historic Places on March 20, 1973 (reference number 73000641).
Olivia Herbert founded the Augusta Art Club in the building in 1937. The organization was later renamed the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art in memory of Herbert's daughter, Gertrude Herbert Dunn. For nearly nine decades, the institute has operated galleries and art education programs from the historic property, making it one of the older continuously operating art institutions in Georgia.
The institute gained wider attention in 2017 when its board commissioned a paranormal investigation following reports of unexplained activity from staff. WRDW, the Augusta CBS affiliate, covered the investigation across multiple broadcasts. Executive Director Heather Williams described a large three-ring binder launching itself off a shelf with no one nearby; other staff reported the sound of footsteps and glimpses of what appeared to be the train of a woman's dress disappearing around corners.
Sources
The paranormal reputation at Ware's Folly is relatively well documented compared to most reported hauntings, in that the investigation that generated the most detailed accounts was covered by local television news across multiple segments in 2017.
After multiple staff members reported anomalous experiences, an institute board member arranged for Middle Georgia Paranormal Investigations to conduct a formal overnight investigation. Their findings, as reported by WRDW Augusta, identified five presences in the building: three male, one female, and one of unknown identity. Investigators reported detecting pacing in an upstairs area and captured audio that included what they interpreted as a voice responding to direct questions—including what investigators described as a name.
Executive Director Heather Williams's account of the binder incident gave the investigation a specific, concrete anchor: a large three-ring binder on a shelf launched outward and fell to the floor with no one nearby. Williams, a non-paranormal investigator, found the experience sufficiently unusual to describe it in detail to news reporters. Other staff accounts describe the train of a woman's dress seen at the edge of doorways, and footsteps that move through rooms and up staircases without an identifiable source.
The five-spirit count from the investigation has become the shorthand for the building's haunted reputation in Augusta ghost tour and tourism contexts.
The institute operates galleries in the historic Ware's Folly mansion, exhibiting contemporary and regional art. The building's notable architectural features include a three-story elliptical staircase. Staff have publicly described anomalous experiences in the building including books flying off shelves and unexplained footsteps.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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