Preserving the past to benefit the present at Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island

A politically charged national border. Religious and cultural differences. The specter of slavery. Threats of war and natural disaster. These may sound like modern news headlines but they would have also told the current events of the new settlements of coastal Georgia and South Carolina in the early 1700s.

Ordinary people moved from their native lands to establish new homes on the wild sea islands and blackwater creeks of the Lowcountry and Golden Isles and found extraordinary conditions awaiting them. A little more than an hour and a half from Bluffton on nearby St. Simons Island, Ga., was one such settlement. The fort and town of Frederica was established in 1736 by the British under James Ogletorpe and there they built homes and lives on the very frontier of the colonies.

Now preserved as Fort Frederica National Monument the ruins of this settlement remind us of a time when our nation was young but faced timeless challenges and found strength through a diverse culture and an unquenchable spirit to face the unknown.

Fort Frederica National Monument is located on St. Simons Island, Ga., and provides a window into the past amid the green beauty of a coastal sea island culture. Founded in 1736 by James Oglethorpe, this settlement was expressly set up to be a buffer between the English colonies and Spanish Florida. It was here that these two nations clashed repeatedly in an effort to maintain control over the coast. At its height, Frederica was home to over 600 settlers of all trades.

The colony was special in that it attracted “debtors” and those who faced imprisonment as well as those who practiced different religions and denominations. Frederica was also unique in that it forbade slavery and sought prosperity through other means.

A fort of oyster shell tabby was built to protect the small town and 500 British soldiers manned its guns and walls. Twice, the Spanish sent soldiers to attack the town and both times were driven off by British troops and armed settlers. The diverse culture of craftspeople, refugees and free people thrived for several more decades before the settlement declined in favor of the port of Brunswick founded further inland. In 1936 Fort Frederica National Monument was preserved by the United States as a cultural landmark and its grounds are open to the public today.

When you visit Fort Frederica National Monument you will be greeted by acres of live oaks, pecan and other southern trees, all bedecked with Spanish moss and inviting you to walk the site of the old town. An interpretive center provides context and tours and the open area of the town is right outside its door.

Brick and tabby ruins are all that remains of small colonial homes and the crenulated powder magazine and several frowning cannon are all that remain of the fort, but they stand castle-like at the edge of the water.

As the salty marsh breeze stirs the moss and the Union Jack crackles above you will be reminded of a time when the Old World met the New World and the bright future of our nation lay down a challenging path of life in a raw and open land.

This story was originally published November 28, 2016 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Preserving the past to benefit the present at Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island."