Darien in McIntosh County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Vessel Kit Jones
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
1. The Vessel Kit Jones Marker
Sapelo Island owner Richard J. Reynolds, Jr. commissioned the vessel Kit Jones in 1938 as the island's ferry. Named after Reynolds' friend Katharine Talbott Jones, Sapelo Geechee and other local residents built the vessel using native timber under the supervision of Danish shipwright Axel Holger Sparre. During World War II, the US Coast Guard used it as a fireboat. Following the establishment of the University of Georgia's Marine Institute on Sapelo in 1953 the vessel was used by scientists including Dr. Eugene Odum, considered the "Father of Modern Ecology," and Dr. Milton "Sam" Gray, namesake of Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. The University of Mississippi acquired the vessel in 1985 for 25 more years of extensive research service. Nearly scrapped in 2017, concerned citizens purchased the Kit Jones, restoring and returning it to Darien.
Erected 2025 by the Georgia Historical Society, the Friends of Kit Jones, and the Mcintosh County Board of Commissioners. (Marker Number 95-8.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1938.
Location. 31° 22.25′ N, 81° 26.017′ W. Marker is
this page online
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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Oglethorpe Oak (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); New Inverness (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named Oglethorpe Oak (about 300 feet away); McIntosh County (about 400 feet away); Darien's Railroad and Depot (about 500 feet away); Columbus Square (about 500 feet away); The Burning of Darien (about 700 feet away); Methodists at Darien (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Darien.
Also see . . .
1. The Georgia Historical Society Dedicates New Historical Marker about the vessel Kit Jones. (Submitted on November 30, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Historical Marker Unveiled in Darien for wood -hulled Kit Jones. (Submitted on November 30, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Public Domain circa 1950s
2. The Vessel Kit Jones
Credits. This page was last revised on December 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 49 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 30, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A long shot of this marker showing it in it's environment. • Can you help?
