Ya’ll, I have fallen in love with the St. Simon Island. This place has the right mix of everything for me. The roads are lined with moss covered trees, the homes have an old Floridian Southern Charm, you can ride your bike just about anywhere or take your golf cart to town. The downtown area has several restaurants and shops to dine at and casually explore. On Saturdays they have a craft fair with local exhibitors of hand made products, not a bunch of made in China items.
Until yesterday I had only been to the downtown area where the pier and lighhouse are located. My adventures on Saturday would lead me to Fort Frederica on St. Simon for a little history lesson.
The first British settlers arrived at St. Simon in 1736, forty years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. James Oglethorpe arrived at this location with the objective to protect his southern boundary. 44 men and 72 women and children arrived at the location. Within four years of setting up Frederica it had grown to over 500 habitants. Colonists from England, Scotland, and Germanic states came to Frederica to support the endeavor as the century old conflict continued between Spain and Britian continued.
In 1742 the Spanish and British forces took to battle and Fort Frederica’s troops defeated the Spainish in the Battle of the Bloody Marsh, ensuring Georgia’s future as a British colony.
The war with Spain ended in 1748. After the war the thriving community at Fort Frederica began to decline. The fort was eventually leveled, not by the Spainish but through time and the elements. Today you can walk the area to see many of the old remanents of homes built during this time.
In 1758 a fire destroyed most of the structures in the town. The few that were left were pillaged and burnt in 1778 occupation of Brown’s Rangers during the American Revolution.
An old burial site nearby with unknown remains of the early settlers who occupied the land and helped to establish a settlement in Georgia.
Moss covered trees provide ample shade while you walk the grounds. Unlike nearby Brunswick, I did not see one single mosquito the entire day. All in all it was a great day off the boat and away from the work laptop and having to fix everyone’s issues with their product at Walmart.
