On Charlie Smith Sr. Highway (Georgia Route 40 Spur) 0 miles north of Kings Bay Road, on the left when traveling north.
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. . . . — — Map (db m21289) HM
On Charlie Smith Sr Highway at USS Benjamin Franklin Drive on Charlie Smith Sr Highway.
USS George Bancroft SSBN- 643
Commissioned 22 January 1966 Decommissioned 21 September 1993
(Associated Sponsor plaque excerpt)
USS George Bancroft SSBN- 643 was a 640-class Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarine homeported in . . . — — Map (db m68749) HM
On South Lee Street (U.S. 17) just north of West William Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
His OriginJacob Joseph was born of slave parents around 1845 and lived on the Murray Plantation in Walterboro, South Carolina. Based on the results of a DNA genealogy testing from family members, it was determined that Jacob's descendents were . . . — — Map (db m222206) HM
On South Lee Street (U.S. 17) just north of West William Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
Joe H. Joseph (Seated) Joe H. Joseph was one of the eldest sons of Jacob and Isabella Joseph. Joe married Katie Baker Joseph and they raised 14 children, seven boys and seven girls. Joe, not only followed his father Jacob with the . . . — — Map (db m222212) HM
On U.S. 17 at Old Jefferson Highway, on the right when traveling south on U.S. 17.
This road, formerly an Indian trail which paralleled the coast, was used by the Spanish and the British.
In 1778 it was traveled by the Revolutionary soldiers who marched against Fort Tonyn at Point Peter.
Albert Gallatin while U.S. Secretary . . . — — Map (db m81752) HM
On Okefenokee Parkway (Georgia Route 40) 1 mile west of Ga. Hwy 110, on the left when traveling south.
On June 29, 1796, this Treaty was signed ¼ mile south of here near Indian Agent James Seagrove’s home, a trading post and garrison of Federal troops on the St. Marys River. The meeting included representatives of the United States and the State of . . . — — Map (db m60207) HM
Near St. Marys Road (at milepost 1) east of Interstate 95, on the right when traveling north.
Georgia’s fate was decided in 1742 when Spanish and British forces clashed on St. Simons Island. Fort Frederica’s troops defeated the Spanish, ensuring Georgia’s future as a British colony. Today, the National Park Service manages Fort Frederica . . . — — Map (db m112210) HM
On Osborne Street (Georgia Route 40) at Dillingham Street, in the median on Osborne Street.
This town was built on the north bank of the St. Marys River at a place called Buttermilk Bluff. The original tract of land, containing 1620 acres, was purchased by the proprietors for laying out the Town of St. Marys for Jacob Weed for thirty eight . . . — — Map (db m14180) HM
On Osborne Street at Conyers Street East, on the right when traveling north on Osborne Street.
In this house Aaron Burr fleeing after duel with Alexander Hamilton, and later General Winfield Scott returning from Indian campaign in Florida, were entertained by Major Archibald Clark. W.P.A. 1936. — — Map (db m103543) HM
Near Interstate 95 at milepost 1 south of St Marys Rd (Interstate 95), on the right when traveling north.
Nearby Cumberland Island is the largest and one of the most natural of Georgia's barrier islands, part of the chain of islands that stretches from Cape Code to beyond Key West. And, as a unite of the National Park System, Cumberland is yours to . . . — — Map (db m239234) HM
On East Weed Street, 0 miles east of Ready Street, on the right when traveling east.
Grown from pecan nuts found floating at sea by Capt. Samuel F. Flood and planted by his wife, nee Rebecca Grovenstine, on Block 47.
The remainder of these nuts were planted by St. Joseph Sebastian Arnow in the north half of Block 26.
These . . . — — Map (db m14398) HM
On Osborne Street (Georgia Route 40) 0 miles north of West Conyers Street, on the right when traveling south.
Built by public subscription as a place of divine worship for inhabitants of St. Marys and its vicinity. Reverend Horace Southworth Pratt was ordained and installed as the first pastor by the Presbytery of Georgia in June, 1822. Incorporated under . . . — — Map (db m21062) HM
On Osborne Street (Georgia Route 40) near Conyers Street, in the median.
Following the death of
President George Washington
on December 14, 1799, local
citizens and members of
Camden Lodge #16 planted
six oak trees in a
memorial service honoring
this famous Statesman,
Soldier and Free Mason. This . . . — — Map (db m63927) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Just seven miles by water from this spot, Cumberland Island National Seashore is home to a rich mosaic of historic sites and natural beauty.
Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene purchased land there in 1783. Following his death, his . . . — — Map (db m144961) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
From roughly 1568 through 1684, twelve Spanish missions were established from St. Augustine to what is now coastal South Carolina. On Cumberland Island, the Franciscan mission San Pedro de Mocama ministered to the Native Americans. The . . . — — Map (db m144956) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Prior to the 1860s, commercial logging occurred primarily along navigable streams where logs could be floated to downstream ports. “Johnstone’s Mills” was clearly marked on a 1790 map of the local area and, in 1802, Archibald Clark . . . — — Map (db m145196) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
In 1912, three canning plants began operations in St. Marys. “Davis and Brandon” had a plant near Oak Grove cemetery specializing in the preservation of local shrimp, string beans and sweet potatoes. The Hardee Brothers canned shrimp . . . — — Map (db m145206) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
The state of Georgia issued a charter in 1856 for a St. Marys “Rail-Road” company. Shortly after Lemuel Johnson moved to St. Marys in the early 1900s, “the city of St. Marys granted land to his railroad…In 1908 the tracks . . . — — Map (db m145203) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
The 1870s saw a county-wide boom in the production of turpentine, a resin distilled from the gum of pine trees. Gum harvesting was labor-intensive, back-breaking and conducted during the hottest, most humid time of year. After collection, the gum . . . — — Map (db m145266) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Today, the St. Marys River is the border between Georgia and Florida. During much of its history St. Marys was the southernmost community to separate two nations. Georgians closely watched their neighbors to the south. The fledging nation . . . — — Map (db m145199) HM
On Osborne Street (Georgia Route 40) at Conyers Street West, on the right when traveling south on Osborne Street.
Orange Hall takes its name from the large sour orange trees, which used to encircle the property. Built for Rev. Horace Southworth Pratt, it is a showcase of antebellum life in the Greek Revival style. — — Map (db m144743) HM
On North River Causeway, 0.1 miles west of New Point Peter Road, on the left when traveling east.
East of here, at the junction of Peter Creek and the St. Marys river, the British built Fort Tonyn in 1776; controlling the southern part of the colony of Georgia for two years. In 1778, American Revolutionary forces, both land and water, forced . . . — — Map (db m81753) HM
On Spinnaker Road at USS Kamehameha Avenue, in the median on Spinnaker Road.
In 1795 a cannon battery constructed on the Point Peter peninsula became the southernmost fortification in the First System of U.S. coastal defenses. Vacated in 1802, it was reoccupied and strengthened in 1808 to provide support for the enforcement . . . — — Map (db m16320) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Mary Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Live Oak, widely used in early American shipbuilding , made St. Marys a natural site for shipyard enterprise. Lumber from the live oak was specifically used to make curved and especially strong , structural members of the hull. In the 1790s, Col. . . . — — Map (db m145242) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
A naturally deep river, the St. Marys was utilized by Native Americans long before European explorers documented its existence. Later, slavers, smugglers, and pirates plied the river in their tall ships and river craft, industrious in their . . . — — Map (db m144992) HM
Near Bartlett Street near St Marys Street West when traveling north.
Many downtown historic homes showcase the architecture and lifestyle of the South. The oldest home in St. Marys , the 1801 Archibald Clark House was occupied by British forces during the War of 1812. Orange Hall is a stellar example of Greek . . . — — Map (db m144935) HM
On Conyers Street, 0 miles east of Osborne Street (Georgia Route 40), on the left when traveling east.
This church is the oldest religious organization in the city, although not the oldest church building. George Clark served as the first missionary to the people here in 1792. John Garvin was the first appointed Pastor to St. Marys in 1799. Methodist . . . — — Map (db m23044) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
By 1740, English General James Oglethorpe had established two forts (Fort St. Andrew and Fort William) on Cumberland Island to monitor the Spanish to the south. When the St. Marys River separated nations, America’s military had an important . . . — — Map (db m144959) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Pre-Colonial St. Marys saw visits by European maritime powers in carracks, galleys, galleons and galeota. Historians have said that at one time up to 300 such ships lay at anchor in the St. Marys River. In the 1800s to mid-1900s, boatyards dotted . . . — — Map (db m144988) HM
On Bartlett Street at St. Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north on Bartlett Street.
Plans for the town of St. Marys, originally known as Buttermilk Bluff, were conceived by the British in 1767. The Articles of Agreement were signed on Cumberland Island in 1787 when the first American owner Jacob Weed, divided and sold land to 19 . . . — — Map (db m144903) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
In January 1861, at Milledgeville, Georgia , St. Marys’ representatives voted for secession from the Union and formed the “Saint Marys Volunteers,” later called the “Camden Chasseurs.” All able-bodied men were sent to join . . . — — Map (db m144971) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Methodist Chapel - The St. Marys United Methodist Church has a circa 1856 chapel that was used as a butcher house by Union troops. Church records state, "The town was in possession of the enemy – the church closed – the flock . . . — — Map (db m144986) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Diary of Julia Johnson Fisher, Entry dated April 21, 1864
We are short allowances today. A saucer of rice and skim milk for dinner. We shock a half pint of cream in a glass jar and thus have produced our first butter—perhaps a small tea cup . . . — — Map (db m144976) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St. Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Gullah (the name given to the islanders of South Carolina) and Geechee (the name given to islanders of Georgia) culture is linked to West African ethnic groups enslaved on island plantations to grow rice, indigo and cotton as early as 1750. In . . . — — Map (db m145195) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
President Harry S. Truman called The War of 1812 “the silliest damned war we ever fought. It should have been resolved through diplomacy.” Nevertheless, Congress declared war against Great Britain on June 18, 1812. The war was mainly . . . — — Map (db m145198) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
In April 1814, British Vice-Admiral Alexander Cochrane issued a Proclamation encouraging any person who wished to withdraw from the United States to board British ships “as freed men” bound for British colonies.
Hundreds of black . . . — — Map (db m144925) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Even though the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812 had been signed on December 24, 1814, and the British had sustained a stunning defeat at the Battle of New Orleans January 8, 1815, the war still came to St. Marys. On January 13, 1815, an . . . — — Map (db m145246) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Prior to European settlement, Southeast Georgia was populated by Timucua Indians known as Mocama. Severely diminished due to infectious diseases and conflict, the Mocama were evacuated to Cuba by the Spanish in 1763, prior to extinction. Living . . . — — Map (db m145016) HM
On Bartlett Street at St. Marys Street west, on the left when traveling north on Bartlett Street.
St. Marys has been occupied since the mid 1500s and was founded in 1787. Within historic Oak Grove Cemetery is the final resting place of the Arcadians who were driven from Arcadia by the English. After years of sorrow, fear and loss they found . . . — — Map (db m144901) HM
•The 77,000 Georgians who served in World War I; the 1,937 KIA; 3,319 WIA; 67 Ex-POWS and 54 MIA
•The 324,373 Georgians who served in World War II; the 6,781 KIA; 11,650 WIA; 652 Ex-POWS and 364 MIA
•The 75,000 Georgians who served in the . . . — — Map (db m137147) HM WM
Near Bartlett Street near St Marys Street West, on the left.
These French-speaking refugees were forced to leave their homes in Nova Scotia by the British during the French & Indian War (1754-1763). The descendants of these oppressed Acadians ultimately sought refuge in St. Marys in the late 1790s after . . . — — Map (db m144939) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
St. Marys’ fresh drinking water was provided by six original wells. The last working well, located in the median in front of Orange Hall, was polluted by flooding.
When George Washington died in 1799, St. Marys’ citizens marched from the . . . — — Map (db m145204) HM
On Osborne Street (Georgia Route 40) at Conyers Street, in the median on Osborne Street.
There were originally six wells one in each square, the only source of pure water for St. Marys, (until the tidal wave of 1818).
On the day that the Father of the Country was buried at Mt. Vernon local services were also held throughout the . . . — — Map (db m14178) HM
Near Bartlett Street at St Marys Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Put in place in 1810, U.S. Navy gunboats, small row-able riverboats placed in service by President Thomas Jefferson to defend home waters of the U.S., were stationed at Naval Station St. Marys/Pt. Peter. In September 1813, a Category 3 hurricane . . . — — Map (db m144924) HM
On Interstate 95 at St. Marys Road, on the right when traveling north on Interstate 95.
This World War II torpedo has been donated by the Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay, Georgia, to the State of Georgia, Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism Kingsland, Florida — — Map (db m161379) WM
On Ocean Highway (U.S. 17) at Refuge Road, on the right when traveling south on Ocean Highway.
On the Satilla River 2.8 miles from here, was one of the largest rice plantations in the South. Originally a crown grant of 500 acres to George McIntosh in 1765, it passed to his son, John Houston McIntosh. In 1836 Gen. Duncan Lamont Clinch, U.S. . . . — — Map (db m193231) HM
On Bedell Avenue (Georgia Hwy 25) (U.S. 17) at East 4th Street, on the right when traveling north on Bedell Avenue (Georgia Hwy 25).
Formed from old Colonial parishes: St. Mary and St. Thomas. Camden one of eight original counties of Georgia created by the State Constitution of 1777. County named for Charles Pratt, Earl of Camden, Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor of England. . . . — — Map (db m168000) HM
On West 3rd Street just west of Bedell Avenue (U.S. 17), on the left when traveling west.
Woodbine was founded in 1893 on the banks of the Satilla River. It grew from earlier river-side sawmill communities established in the mid 1800's. Harvesting timber was a major occupation, and large rafts of logs were floated down the river to the . . . — — Map (db m155789) HM
