Fort King George Historic Site
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McIntosh County In the 1930s historian Bessie Lewis pinpointed the exact location of Fort King George using old maps uncovered from the South Carolina State Archives. The fort, built along the Altamaha River in modern-day Georgia, was in use from 1720 to 1727. It was the southernmost fortification of the British Empire in North America. By 1940 Lewis and her local civic group, the Fort King George Association, had convince the state to purchase the land to preserve it as a historic site and park. In 1961 the site was deeded to the Georgia Historical Commission and began to attract more interest. Locals from McIntosh County began a campaign to restore the fort and use it as an educational facility. By 1970 a museum was built and dedicated on site and was staffed with a superintendent and interpretive resources. Over the ensuing 35 years, under the direction of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the fort was slowly reconstructed. By 2004, it was 100 percent authentically reconstructed to its original splendor. In 2002, a ten-acre tract adjacent to the fort site was acquired through help of local fund raising and grants provided from the Georgia Trust for Public Lands. The land was acquired to inhibit encroachment and development adjacent to the site. Today, Fort King George provides an excellent educational plan and museum that is devoted to helping the public appreciate the history of our state, both before and after its establishment. Various themes of the site's educational offerings include pre-historic Guale Indian culture, the Spanish Missions of the coast in the 16th century, the 18th century struggle for empire in the Southeast, Scottish Highlanders of Colonial Georgia, crafts and trades in the colonies, man's use of the natural environment, and timber milling during the 19th century Industrial Age. The site features living history programs, interpretive resources, exhibits, and a nature trail. |
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