Cowpens Trading Post: Home of Mary Musgrove

During the first years after the founding of the Georgia colony in 1733 these lands (now owned by Imperial Sugar Company) were known as the "Cowpen" or "Grange" plantation. Along the Savannah River, about one mile east of this marker, was located the home of John Musgrove and his wife, Mary, who engaged there in trade, farming, and cattle raising. Mary Musgrove, famed in Georgia history for her services to General James Edward Oglethorpe as interpreter, was the daughter of an English trader and Creek Indian mother. Musgrove, who assumed the name "Coosaponakeesa," claimed she was the niece of Old Brim, Emperor of the Creek Indians. The Musgrove house near this site was a seat of hospitality. Among the important visitors entertained here was Methodist minister, John Wesley. During the nineteenth century these were part of Colerain Plantation, owned by James Potter. The lands were extensively cultivated, and Colerain was one of the largest rice plantations on the Savannah River. In 1916, the Savannah Sugar Refining Company plant was built on the property, and marked the beginning of the transition from Savannah's cotton and naval stores economy to that of a leading industrial seaport.