Kings Bay in Camden County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Tabby Sugar Works of John Houston McIntosh
Inscription.
These are the ruins of a tabby sugar works built by John Houston McIntosh at New Canaan Plantation soon after 1825. In his sugar house McIntosh installed what was, according to Thomas Spalding, the first horizontal cane mill worked by cattle power.
McIntosh, born in 1773 in what is now McIntosh County, settled in East Florida as a young man and became a leader of a group of American citizens who, during the War of 1812, plotted the annexation of East Florida to the United States. This plot crushed by the Spanish government, McIntosh removed to Georgia and acquired two plantations in Camden County, Marianna, where he built a home, and New Canaan, where he began the cultivation of sugar cane under the influence of Thomas Spalding, who had experimented in sugar production and seen the use of steam-propelled horizontal cane mills in Louisiana.
After McIntosh’s death in 1836, New Canaan was sold to one Col. Hallowes, who changed the name of the plantation to Bollingbrook and lived there until after the Civil War. During the war, Hallowes planted cane and made sugar in the McIntosh sugar house. He also used the tabby sugar works as a starch factory, producing arrowroot starch in large quantities.
Erected 1963 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker Number 020-12.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Colonial Era • Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1825.
Location. 30° 47.592′ N, 81° 34.639′ W. Marker is in Kings Bay, Georgia, in Camden County. Marker is on Charlie Smith Sr. Highway (Georgia Route 40 Spur) 0 miles north of Kings Bay Road, on the left when traveling north. The marker is opposite the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kings Bay GA 31547, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. USS George Bancroft (approx. 0.8 miles away); Point Peter (approx. 3.9 miles away); Point Peter Battery and the War of 1812 (approx. 4.4 miles away); Spanish Occupation of Georgia (approx. 5 miles away); City of St. Marys (approx. 5 miles away); First Presbyterian Church (approx. 5 miles away); Washington Pump & Oak (approx. 5.1 miles away); George Washington Oak Tree Site (approx. 5.1 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on November 16, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 2,476 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 31, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 3, 4. submitted on July 25, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.