Augusta was built on the site of a former Indian village, Sawanogi, on high ground near the Tallapoosa River and was home to the Old Augusta Cemetery. In 1824, a disastrous flood swept over the plateau and invaded shops and residences. A year later, a deadly form of malarial fever killed half the population and ended the town as well. The cemetery, burial place for the Ross, Charles, and Taylor families, continued in use until the early 20th century, and the iron fence surrounding it had formerly been erected around the state Capitol in Montgomery.