The Augusta Chinese and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

Year Erected: 2023

Marker Text: The second half of the nineteenth century saw increased Chinese immigration to the United States to meet the needs of large-scale labor projects. In 1873, Chinese laborers were contracted to expand the Augusta Canal. The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) halted the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States, but it did not apply to merchants. Already established in Augusta at that time, the Chinese merchant class continued to grow with the arrival of families, creating the largest Chinese population in Georgia until the mid twentieth century. The Augusta Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) was chartered in 1927 to support the Chinese community. The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943, removing formal legal restrictions against Chinese Americans. The CCBA is the oldest Chinese organization in Georgia and remains active in the community.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Augusta Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

Tips for Finding This Marker: At 548 Walker Street in Augusta