Old Fort King George, an 18th century frontier fortification on the Altamaha River, was reconstructed from old records and drawings. It is the perfect project for any Black Powder enthusiast.
Fort King George is the oldest English fort remaining on Georgia's coast. From 1721 until 1736, it was the southern outpost of the British Empire in North America. A cypress blockhouse, barracks and palisaded earthen fort were constructed in 1721 by scoutmen led by Colonel John “Tuscarora Jack” Barnwell.
The fort was the first of the British 18th century posts built to counteract French expansion in America and was also a flagrant trespass upon Spanish territory. During its occupation, Spain continually demanded that it be destroyed.
The blockhouse was 26 feet square with three floors and a lookout in the gable from which the guard could watch the inland waterway and St Simons Island.
For the next seven years, His Majesty’s Independent Company garrisoned the fort. They endured incredible hardships from disease, threats of Spanish and Indian attacks, and the harsh, unfamiliar coastal environment.
During the occupation, more than 140 soldiers and officers lost their lives here. After the troops were withdrawn to Port Royal in 1727, South Carolina kept two lookouts at Fort King George until General James Oglethorpe arrived in 1733.
Oglethorpe brought Scottish Highlanders to the site in 1736. The settlement, called Darien, eventually became a foremost export center of lumber until 1925.
The reconstructed fort and structures include a blockhouse, officers' quarters, barracks, guardhouse, moat and palisades.
If you'd care to build the entire grounds here is a layout to use.
The museum at Fort King George gives a basic diagram for the blockhouse, rampart, palisade and moat elevations.
This is a reproduction of the Scottish Highlanders huts used at that time and the foundation for the settlement of Darien.
They were a basic mud and wattle constructed building as shown here.
We'll leave off with several additional photos. If you give this a shot, let us know how it goes!
Have a Great Battle,
The Old Crow
Its very funny the title of this article. Hugh Langford and myself build a lot of the fort and site. Too many years. Hugh put in 10 years and l 17 years Everything is works from overn to cannons. In the fall of 2021 the Fort will have 300th Anniversary event. It will be a juried event for 1721.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty awesome!! Thanks for the update!!
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