Augustus "Gus" Coggins — Triumph, Scandal, and Survival in 1920s Cherokee County

Augustus "Gus" Coggins (1868–1952) built and lost one of Cherokee County’s most ambitious enterprises in just two decades. His accomplishments included the historic stone barn at Crescent Farm (built 1906), the grand Edgewater Hall (1917), bank president, and breeder of the world-class racehorse Abbedale.

On Friday, November 5, 1926, Coggins took out a $62,000 loan against his farm. By the following Wednesday, his bank had failed, he had declared bankruptcy, paid $25,000 to a mule-trading family, and disappeared from Cherokee County.

Drawing on extensive research and newly available records, Dr. Jeff Dobson argues that Coggins was a sophisticated operator who engineered his own escape. His story ends with manual labor in Wray, Colorado, in 1942.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Jeff Dobson is a native of Cherokee County. He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Georgia and served as a Lieutenant in the US Navy. He is currently CEO of Mi Amigos AI Corporation in Knoxville and the author of the novel The Waters of Chaos (2012).