Unlike some of the national historic sites that have several existing structures, and are located within town centers, Fort Frederica does not have its own town anymore. It does not even have many ruins. You walk through a lovely open, park-like space with beautiful live oaks and their draping Spanish moss. The Frederica River flows along the site’s western boundary.
Located on St. Simon’s Island, south of Savannah, Georgia, all that remains standing of Fort Frederica are the magazine and part of the barracks that housed approximately 100 soldiers. The town that was once protected by the fort has disappeared.
Informational signage shows the grid layout of the streets and archaeologic excavation areas of buildings long gone.
What happened to Fort Frederica and the town?
Fort Frederica was built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748 to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from Spanish raids. It was a strategic location during a time of early American settlement.
Built in an area of disagreed upon land, the Spanish arrived at Fort Frederica to contest the settlement. This was the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742, which was part of the War of Jenkins’ Ear.
The battle was a British victory, ending the Spanish claim to Georgia. After the loss, the Spanish did not try to attack again. The soldiers were not needed anymore, and the town was not able to survive.
Eventually, Fort Frederica disappeared.
The historic site today
So how do we know this? It is always so fascinating to me how archeology can uncover so many mysteries. Centuries with plantations, agriculture, and then redevelopment. But before that, there was this town with a fort that once played a key role in making Georgia a British colony instead of a Spanish settlement.
When you walk the grounds, you see the excavated areas that have been uncovered and learn about the stories of some of the people that lived here in the early 1700s.
The historical park has become an archeological site. Some of the dig areas have been left open to show their locations. Signage explains some of what was found from digging, and stories gathered from historical information are available in the visitor center.
A place to reimagine
Walking along the grounds of Fort Frederica, the openness allows my imagination to take off with a sense of wonderment. I think about the people and how they must have lived.
It is from historical sites like this that we can learn about the life of early settlers during pre-colonial days.
There is a mix of curiosity and gratitude that sweeps through me. Curiosity about how these people once lived and their hardships. Gratitude because they did survive and settle in what is now Georgia.
It is exciting to think that their settling in the area gave me the opportunity to visit this now quiet place that is surrounded by development. But at the same time, there is the sadness of knowing the history, what it took to get from that small town to modern development.
For this small town, it was a life before slaves. Before the Indians were moved westward. Prior to commerce coming and growing the area. A life for those willing to protect a disagreeable boundary with the threat from the Spanish.
Isolated, the settlers lived off the land with only so many natural resources. They traded with each other to leverage their skills. They traded with the Indians for food and supplies, and they traded with other explorers and settlers who would pass through the area.
Oglethorpe supported the village, but he was in Savannah at a time when transportation was via foot travel or horse.
Who were the people who lived here?
The people in the town were chosen by Oglethorpe based on their skills and talents. Many of them had multiple jobs – Jack of all trades. You have the baker, the blacksmith, the cooper, the candlestick maker and so many other people with trades that are long gone.
We take it for granted because it is so easy to go to the store now, or shop on Amazon to get the things we need. But the bread does not just bake on its own. The soaps do not just get made. Products do not appear with delivery.
There is somebody who grows the grain for the flour, casts the iron baking dishes and forges the utensils. There is someone who bakes the bread and someone else who makes clothes, shoes, and linen.
Products are truly made locally by neighbors helping neighbors.
We know this because there are records about the settlers. Records from Oglethorpe as he governed the land. Records from the ships that brought settlers over from England. Records of trade.
There are also personal records as people moved on and either told stories or wrote information. Some of them wrote letters that still exist. In one case, a man with roots in this small town went on to establish a newspaper in Chicago. Another man became one of Georgia’s governors.
A simpler time, perhaps?
Thinking about the people in the town, many of them did these things themselves. The initial thought is that it was a simpler time. But what does it mean to be a simpler time? A past era. A life of routines which can be simplified and optimized for daily activities.
Many of us experienced this simpler time during the pandemic. No rushing around like we do now.
Schools were closed, so there was no rushing to get the kids ready. Work from home negated the need to drive to work, then squeeze in lunch, before working more and driving home to pick up the kids, cook dinner, and oh so much more…
Yet how much quality time did some of these people really have? Time to pursue their dreams while they were tending their backyard gardens, building and then repairing their homes, tending to the many trades and activities they had.
Many did not have the opportunity of education. They could not afford to take trips, even to the nearest town.
Life was what it was. They followed in the footsteps of the family. Their expectations were set. Yet, there were some who moved on to wonderful things. Opportunities were available.
Thoughts of gratitude
I have gratitude for the life I live now compared to the hardships of that simpler time. Development and technological advances have allowed me the time to do other things, learn other skills, and become specialized in my own way.
Yet, in thinking of a simpler time, I am reminded that I do not need to go so fast. It is good to be able to slow down, appreciate what I have, and live a little more simply. It is also good that I have so much potential and possibilities available to me now that I can set my own expectations. A simpler life in the past has thus made way for a more balanced life in the present.