Darien in McIntosh County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Old Fort King George
Photographed By Mike Stroud, August 2008
1. Old Fort King George Marker
Inscription.
Old Fort King George. . Site of old Fort King George, built in 1721 by Col. John Barnwell, of South Carolina, under British Royal orders. This tiny cypress blockhouse, 26 feet square, with 3 floors, and a lookout in the gable from which the guard could watch over the Inland Waterway and St. Simon`s Island, was flanked by officers quarters and barracks, and the entire area was surrounded on all but the river side by a moat and palisades. Garrisoned by his Majesty`s Independent Company, with replacements of Colony scouts, the fort was occupied for six years. During that time more than 140 officers and soldiers lost their lives here and were buried on the adjacent bluff. The first of the British 18th century scheme of posts built to counteract French expansion in America, Fort King George was also a flagrant trespass upon Spanish territory, and during its occupation Spain continually demanded that it be destroyed. , The troops were withdrawn to Port Royal in 1727, but until Oglethorpe arrived in Savannah in 1733 South Carolina kept two lookouts at old Fort King George
Site of old Fort King George, built in 1721 by Col. John Barnwell, of South Carolina, under British Royal orders. This tiny cypress blockhouse, 26 feet square, with 3 floors, and a lookout in the gable from which the guard could watch over the Inland Waterway and St. Simon`s Island, was flanked by officers quarters and barracks, and the entire area was surrounded on all but the river side by a moat and palisades. Garrisoned by his Majesty`s Independent Company, with replacements of Colony scouts, the fort was occupied for six years. During that time more than 140 officers and soldiers lost their lives here and were buried on the adjacent bluff. The first of the British 18th century scheme of posts built to counteract French expansion in America, Fort King George was also a flagrant trespass upon Spanish territory, and during its occupation Spain continually demanded that it be destroyed.
The troops were withdrawn to Port Royal in 1727, but until Oglethorpe arrived in Savannah in 1733 South Carolina kept two lookouts at old Fort King George
Erected 1957 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker Number 095-19.)
Location. 31° 21.859′ N, 81° 24.937′ W. Marker is in Darien, Georgia, in McIntosh County. Marker is at the intersection of Fort King George Road on Fort King George Road. Located at Fort King George Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Darien GA 31305, United States of America. Touch for directions.
5. Old Fort King George replica cannon inside the blockhouse
Photographed By Mike Stroud, August 2008
6. Old Fort King George fortifies Darien River, Back door to Charleston, SC
Protection for South Carolina from the Spanish and Seminoles from the south and French from the Mississippi regions in the west
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2008
7. Fort King George
Photographed By Mike Stroud, August 2008
8. Old Fort King George Barracks and stores area
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2008
9. Old Fort King George Marker
Photographed By Mike Stroud, August 2008
10. Old Fort King George "Lower Bluff " Marker
Colonel John Barnwell described the spartina grass
marshes as "resembling meadows" with "vast
cypress swamps." It was in these swamps that Barnwell
sent his men to retrieve cypress logs. Small wonder
the men mutinied and would not complete the fort
until being promised higher wages. The small creek
before you was once a navigable river. A cut made
across the loop of the river in the late 1800's,for a
navigation shortcut, caused the main currents of the
river to shift about a mile south of here.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, August 2008
11. Old Fort King George British graves as mentioned on Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,562 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on September 1, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.