Old Fort King George

Old Fort King George is a Georgia historical marker in McIntosh County, dedicated 1957.

Located at the intersection of Fort King George Road on Fort King George Road in Darien.

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Site of old Fort King George, built in 1721 by Col. John Barnwell, of South Carolina, under British Royal orders. This tiny cypress blockhouse, 26 feet square, with 3 floors, and a lookout in the gable from which the guard could watch over the Inland Waterway and St. Simon's Island, was flanked by officers quarters and barracks, and the entire area was surrounded on all but the river side by a moat and palisades. Garrisoned by his Majesty's Independent Company, with replacements of Colony scouts, the fort was occupied for six years. During that time more than 140 officers and soldiers lost their lives here and were buried on the adjacent bluff. The first of the British 18th century scheme of posts built to counteract French expansion in America, Fort King George was also a flagrant trespass upon Spanish territory, and during its occupation Spain continually demanded that it be destroyed. The troops were withdrawn to Port Royal in 1727, but until Oglethorpe arrived in Savannah in 1733 South Carolina kept two lookouts at old Fort King George.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1764 · Carte de la Nouvelle Georgie (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1776 · A General Map of the Southern British Colonies, in America. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1778 · Parte Orientale della Florida, della Giorgia, e Carolina Meridionale. Fogl. XI (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1852 · Georgia, Florida. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1921 · Darien, Georgia (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)

Carte de la Nouvelle Georgie, 1764, covering the location of Old Fort King George, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Carte de la Nouvelle Georgie, 1764, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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From one family's 77-marker roster

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This historical marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program and was erected by the Georgia Historical Commission. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.

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On the National Register nearby

Fort King George320 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.