Fort King George State Historic Site, Darien, Georgia

 

“The cities having forts are privileged for these are rare gems amidst sprawling beads of malls."

Shobhana Basnet

 

Riding our bikes ride around the picturesque town of Darien led us to Fort King George State Historic Site, the oldest fort on the Georgia coast, built in 1721. We rode under huge ancient oaks loaded with Spanish Moss hanging from their limbs on the side streets of Darien and past some quaint homes with many locals outside tending to their yards. We rode into the gated park and secured our bikes just outside the Visitors Center. We paid our admission and were told to check out the museum which was our first stop. They showed a very informative 10 minute film about the fort.

The museum had great information about this area from its earliest beginnings when the Guale Indians (pronounced Wah lee) lived here and along the Georgia coast up to the 1600’s. When the Spaniards came and they wanted to Christianize the Guale along with other Indian Tribes in the area. The Spaniards also insisted the Guale live with their Europeans customs. They Guale revolted in 1597 and killed Friar Pedro de Corpa. The Guale later moved down to the St. Augustine area. Later, as we walked up towards the fort, we saw the great example of a mud hut, like the one these Indians would have lived in during that time.

The British settled this area when Col. John Barnwell came to the states from northern Ireland back in 1699 and landed in South Carolina. In 1721, he brought a group of scouts that were skilled laborers and enslaved people to build the fort to defend against the Spanish and French. He was given elderly soldiers that came from England that were plagued by issues like malnutrition and diseases. When the soldiers arrived in January of 1721, they all had gotten Scurvy from their long voyage and were placed in a hospital in Port Royal, SC for the rest of the year. Since his troops were all in the hospital, he still had no troops so he was given coastal scouts and civilians to help build the fort. But things didn’t improve much as they gave him problems as they were not a disciplined group. The soldiers of this fort became known as the “Invalid” company. 

This fort was a hardship assignment as there was not enough food or water to feed all them men since they had poor funding and the river flooded. These scouts had issues such as laziness, excessive drinking, some deserted, and many were just plan starving. It was a bad time and in the end 140 officers and soldiers died because of these deplorable conditions in such a harsh climate. The fort caught on fire twice and both times was rebuilt.

Oglethorpe wanted this area to be settled and protected against the Spaniards, so in 1735 he requested Scottish Highlanders from mainly the Inverness area to come since they were thought to be the toughest people in the world. Many Scots were eager to come here since they were being offered 50 acres per family member, given cattle, farming implements and seeds for crops. They were also offered a firearm, a sword, and an ax and since they had been disarmed in their country, they were happy about having that freedom.

177 Scots with their families boarded the “Prince of Wales” in 1735 and settled in the “Barnwell’s Bluffs” area in 1736. Later Oglethorpe recommended the town to be moved closer to where the bridge is now located because of flooding issues and better land. So they did move it away from the fort site. They included families by the names of McIntosh, McDonald, MacBean, MacKay, Frazer, Forbes, Clark, Baillie, Cameron, and a few others. Most of them spoke Gaelic and not much English. When Oglethorpe came back to visit he dressed in full Scottish flair donning a kilt and laid out how the town should be built with square blocks and green parks. They named the town “New Inverness.”

The short lived Fort King George was abandoned in 1736 as they felt that other forts in the area were in a better strategic position. After the fort was abandoned this area was first used for agriculture and raising cattle. Lumbering was the next big industry and at one time Darien was one of the largest ports for shipping lumber. After depleting the lumber supply, it became a fishing town and became primarily known for their wild shrimp.

Bessie Lewis, an avid researcher and historian from Ohio moved to Darien in the 1930’s and found old records and drawing of how the fort was laid out when in use. That information was used by the state for rebuilding this historic site. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is perfect replica of what it was. It is open Tuesday through Sunday 9 am to 5 pm.

After learning much in the museum, we headed out towards the fort on the boardwalk over a wetland area. Coming up upon the fort, the weathered Blockhouse stood out behind the wooden palisade fence. This building was the largest building in the fort. We walked across an area that was the moat which fills up during high tide. The Blockhouse’s purpose was to defend the fort. There was three levels in the blockhouse. The gun powder supply was stored on the ground floor. The second and third floor as used to shoot cannons or muskets through the loopholes. Also the third floor, was were the soldiers could stand watch with a the view of the marsh and Altamaha River.

They had reconstructed many buildings to see while walking around the inside of the fort. The Officers Quarters would hold up to 8 officers and had two fireplaces, chess board, two lofts, and had a wooden floor. The Enlisted Quarters was a long one story building that could house up to 50 men. It was much more primitive than the officers quarters with dirt floors, many bunks close together, two fireplaces, and a many long tables end to end, here they could sit and eat and have some liquid refreshment.

There were a few very small Lean-To Huts that were used to shelter laborers and later used for living quarters for non-commissioned officers. I can’t imagine living in such a small space. Of course, there was a privy. The one on display was a four seater. They were smart about the location of the privy for the fort. They placed it close to the marsh which meant it could get flushed out twice a day by the tide changes. The Bake and Brew House was and open air bakery where the cooks would make the food or brew beverages. Since we visited in August, we felt how sweltering and humid it is here during the summer months, and realized how difficult it must have been on the cooks. Since it was right next to a marsh, the flies and mosquitoes must have been a problem while they prepared the meals.

The Sentry boxes faced the river and was where the big guns were located. The soldiers had a great view of the river and could see for a good distant if there was any enemy threat advancing. That wooden fence wouldn’t have been much protection for these poor soldiers defending the fort. We also thought it was a smart design to have the Enlisted Quarters right next to this area so it wouldn’t take long for the soldiers to get in their proper positions if an enemy attack was imminent.

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There was a Blacksmith shop, a Doctors Quarters, and a Wood Shop all located withing the walls of the fort. There was a guardhouse on each corner of the fort. After walking around the fort, we walked past a scout boat on display and then out one of the gates to view the river. The Black Island Creek meets the Altamaha River and was a beautiful area to see wildlife. It is hard to imagine what these soldiers went through with constantly watching that peaceful river for threats.

We walked back into the fort and out through another gate with a sign noting this was the nature trail that ran next to the salt marshes. Georgia has 1/3 of all the marshlands on the east coast of the United States which is believable as when you gaze out to the horizon, they seem to go on forever. It was lovely but that day the flies were so bad, it turned me around. What a shame. I’ve seen pictures and it looks like a lovely walk. Their is a highlander cottage along the path which I only saw from a distance.  

Before we left, we headed to the Soldiers Cemetery. Many men died here as disease ran rampant. This cemetery is to honor all those who served at the fort and passed. The headstones simply read: Soldier of Fort King George. What a beautiful resting spot under large oak trees and up against the tidal marsh.  

 

We enjoyed visiting this wonderful fort and getting a feeling for how it was for those that served during those times. This is a great place to visit with much to see. You can easily spend a couple hours here strolling around. I hope you have enjoyed our trip to Fort King George and add it to your list of places to see.

Till next time. Bye for now.