Built in 1859, it was a childhood home of Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), the 28th president of the United States and proponent of the League of Nations.

It is a two-story brick structure, with a side gable roof, five-bay front facade, and a pair of end chimneys.

Until 1872 it was the home of Dr. Joseph Ruggles Wilson, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, and his family, which included his son Thomas, born 1856 in Virginia.

[3] The property remained the manse of the church, housing its ministers, until 1929, by which time the building had undergone a number of alterations and modernizing updates, but was in poor condition.

After passing through a number of owners and uses, the property was purchased at auction by Historic Augusta in 1991, which then spent 10 years painstakingly restoring it to its 1860 appearance.