Darien in McIntosh County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Tunis G. Campbell
(1812-1891)
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, January 3, 2025
1. Tunis B. Campbell Marker
Inscription.
Tunis G. Campbell. Born free in New Jersey, Tunis Campbell became one of the highest ranking, most influential African-American politicians in 19th-century Georgia. In 1863 Campbell was commissioned to assist former slaves under US protection in South Carolina. Representing the Freedmen's Bureau, he later supervised land claims and Black resettlement on Georgia's sea islands. When former Confederates received Presidential pardons and reclaimed the islands, Campbell purchased land in McIntosh County and established a Black landowners association. Serving in numerous political positions during Reconstruction, Campbell advocated for Black civil, political, and educational rights while receiving threats from outraged Whites, Following Reconstruction, White conservatives regained power and targeted Campbell. In 1875, political opponents falsely charged Campbell with malfeasance in office. He was convicted and sentenced to hard labor. Campbell wrote a book about his Reconstruction years in Georgia. He died in Massachusetts in 1891.
Born free in New Jersey, Tunis Campbell became one of the highest ranking, most influential African-American politicians in 19th-century Georgia. In 1863 Campbell was commissioned to assist former slaves under US protection in South Carolina. Representing the Freedmen's Bureau, he later supervised land claims and Black resettlement on Georgia's sea islands. When former Confederates received Presidential pardons and reclaimed the islands, Campbell purchased land in McIntosh County and established a Black landowners association. Serving in numerous political positions during Reconstruction, Campbell advocated for Black civil, political, and educational rights while receiving threats from outraged Whites, Following Reconstruction, White conservatives regained power and targeted Campbell. In 1875, political opponents falsely charged Campbell with malfeasance in office. He was convicted and sentenced to hard labor. Campbell wrote a book about his Reconstruction years in Georgia. He died in Massachusetts in 1891.
Erected 2024 by Georgia Historical Society, the Lower Altamaha Historical Society, and the City of Darien. (Marker Number 95-7.)
31° 22.223′ N, 81° 25.751′ W. Marker is in Darien, Georgia, in McIntosh County. It is on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard north of Madison Street, on the left when traveling north. The marker is located in front of Inverness Square. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 501 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Darien GA 31305, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain, on the Georgia Coast and the Golden Isles, and on the Sea Islands. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 12, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 78 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 12, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
