Boll Weevil
Cafe & Sweetery
About us
Welcome to the Boll Weevil Cafe and Sweetery. We are often asked about the history of our restaurant and the surrounding area. Our main building with the old hand hewn beams was constructed prior to 1850 as one of several cotton warehouses on the property. In fact most of the riverfront land in Augusta during the 1850's was used for some aspect of the cotton trade. In 1873 the Georgia Railroad Company extended the Port Royal to Yemassee Railroad to Augusta. In 1896 this railroad became known as the Charleston and Western Carolina Railroad with the local terminal located across the street where the Marriott Suites now sits. In 1919 Fredrick Harrison, a young freight clerk with C&WC, bought the then abandoned cotton sheds across from the station and started Reliable Transfer Company which delivered freight from the railroad to downtown businesses on mule drawn wagons. The office was located in the small red dining room in the front and the arched opening in the wall housed a pot bellied stove.
During the 1930's a fire destroyed the rear of the building and a few years later a tornado severely damaged the front facade. In the 50's Fred Harrison Jr. used the property to warehouse furniture for his business T.R. Maxwell Furniture. T.R. Maxwell prospered and warehousing was moved to a better building across the street in the late 60's. By 1990 Fred Jr. was nearing retirement so his son George Harrison decided to open a small restaurant on the property his grandfather had purchased more than 70 years prior. Because two of our neighboring restaurants were named Cotton Row, and The Cotton Patch we decided to name our restaurant after the cotton-eating insect. In spite of the fact we opened in an industrial area on a dead end street and named our restaurant after a bug, we have survived for over 18 years. Our approach to dining is to provide a totally unique high quality experience with fresh breads, home baked desserts, and great tasting chef prepared dishes at casual dining prices. Thanks to hard working, dedicated staff and a great customer base, we have enjoyed success. If everything is not 100% your satisfaction, please ask to see our manager on duty.