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Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island, Georgia, is a fort and town built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748 to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from Spanish raids. About 630 British troops were stationed at this fort.
Also part of Oglethorpe′s intention in creating this colony was to provide a location were poor debtors could settle. Colonists from England, Scotland, and refugees form Germany came to the colony and soon, a town of up to 500 colonial residents had grown up outside the fort. By 1743, nearly 1000 people lived at Frederica but a peace treaty signed between England and Spain in 1748 caused the decline of the fort.
The fort and town together were named Frederica, after Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King George II, however, the name was feminized to distinguish it from Fort Frederick in South Carolina.
In 1749, after the threat of Spanish attack no longer threatened the colony, the government disbanded the garrison after which the village fell into decline. By 1755, the village was all but abandoned.
Fort Frederica Today
In 1945, Fort Frederica National Monument was established. Archaeological excavations were done in time that uncovered Frederica′s past and allowed its story to be told again to new generations of Americans.
Although it failed as a settlement, its success in defending Georgia from Spanish attack made its success as first as a British colony and later as part of the United States possible.
Fort Frederica Information:
Year Established:
1736
Year Closed:
1749
Type Construction:
Brick and Tabby
Tabby, from the Spanish tapia, (meaning wall) is similar to concrete. Oyster shells were burned into a lime powder and mixed with sand, water, and whole shells forming a type of concrete. Once mixed, these materials were poured into wooden forms in courses 12 to 18 inches deep.
Location:
Coordinates:
31.22384, -81.39324
Address:
6515 Frederica Road, Saint Simmons Island, Georgia 31522
Entrance Fee:
Non
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