Sunbury in Liberty County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Old Sunbury Road
Photographed By Mike Stroud, February 12, 2009
1. Old Sunbury Road Marker
Inscription.
The Old Sunbury Road. . The bustling seaport of Sunbury was once the largest city of this region of Georgia. Sunbury was the destination for many trading ships loaded with cargo from regions around the world. Rum, sugar, and slaves arrived from the West Indies. Clothes, tea, and iron goods were imported from Great Britain. The most valuable exports from the port of Sunbury were rice and indigo. Merchants and traders used the Old Sunbury Road to carry these goods throughout the coastal region., Heading west from Sunbury, the road first led to the town of Midway, 10 miles inland. This wagon traffic provided Midway and local farms access to goods from around the world. Sunbury Road was most important before the Revolution, when the town of Sunbury was a busy seaport. By 1786, the town of Sunbury, along with use of the historic road, had begun a slow, long decline., The Old Sunbury Road Today , During the Colonial Era, the Old Sunbury Road was lined with fields and forests of live oaks. The live oaks provided a shaded canopy which protected travelers from the summer sun. Today much of this [dirt] road is wider, smoother, straighter, and regularly maintained by modern equipment. Rows of planted pine trees have replaced the natural forest. However some portions of the road still possess their historic natural vegetation, particularly near the original town of Sunbury. . This historical marker is in Sunbury in Liberty County Georgia
The bustling seaport of Sunbury was
once the largest city of this region of
Georgia. Sunbury was the destination
for many trading ships loaded with cargo
from regions around the world. Rum,
sugar, and slaves arrived from the West
Indies. Clothes, tea, and iron goods
were imported from Great Britain. The
most valuable exports from the port
of Sunbury were rice and indigo.
Merchants and traders used the Old
Sunbury Road to carry these goods
throughout the coastal region.
Heading west from Sunbury, the road
first led to the town of Midway, 10 miles
inland. This wagon traffic provided Midway
and local farms access to goods from
around the world. Sunbury Road was
most important before the Revolution,
when the town of Sunbury was a busy
seaport. By 1786, the town of Sunbury,
along with use of the historic road, had
begun a slow, long decline.
The Old Sunbury Road Today
During the Colonial Era, the Old Sunbury
Road was lined with fields and forests of
live oaks. The live oaks provided a
shaded canopy which protected travelers
from the summer sun. Today much of this
[dirt] road is
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wider, smoother, straighter,
and regularly maintained by modern
equipment. Rows of planted pine trees
have replaced the natural forest.
However some portions of the road still
possess their historic natural vegetation,
particularly near the original town of
Sunbury.
Location. 31° 46.076′ N, 81° 16.915′ W. Marker is in Sunbury, Georgia, in Liberty County. Marker is on Sunbury Road, 0.1 miles west of Fort Morris Road, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Midway GA 31320, United States of America. Touch for directions.
( Left Picture)
Old Sunbury Roads runs west to the
colonial town of Midway and the turned
north. Only sections of the old road
remains today.
3. The Old Sunbury Road Marker
( Right Picture)
This was a busy, well- developed
throughfare in the 1700's, with
wagomloads of goods and produce
going each way. It's quiet now,
but we can still feel the connections
to the people who lived and worked
here.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, February 12, 2009
4. The Old Sunbury Road , as seen today, looking westward
marker as seen at left
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,048 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 22, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.