The original goal of General Oglethorpe and the other trustees to relieve the suffering of those in debtors prisons remains a powerful myth even today, but despite these good intentions, the reality was far different. By the start of the American Revolution (1775-83), Fort Frederica was obsolete, and St. Simons was left largely uninhabited as most of its residents joined the patriot army. Having laid out the town of Savannah in 1733, Oglethorpe realized the importance of protection from the Spanish to the south. For Frederica, the peace treaty that Great Britain and Spain signed in 1748 sounded its death knell. Oglethorpe's foresight in establishing Frederica was rewarded in 1742 during the War of Jenkins' Ear. The British garrison there evacuated before the Spanish soldiers arrived and retreated north to Fort Frederica. Designed in the traditional European pattern of the period, the fort included three bastions, a projecting spur battery now washed away, two storehouses, a guardhouse, and a stockade. US Historic Sites A ride to the north end of St. Simons Island with a visit to Fort Frederica provides visible evidence of the English occupation that followed. Fort Frederica National Monument The fort's location on the Frederica River allowed it to control ship travel. Fort Frederica History Established as a fortified community of British settlers in 1736. Although the trustees' involvement was purely philanthropic, it was expected that the colonists would prosper by producing wine, silk, or some other commodity. He was given the 42nd Regiment of Foote, now known as "Oglethorpe's Regiment," consisting of 250 men from Gibraltar, 300 men recruited in England, and 45 men from the tower of London. Judi has left us to move In 1736, three years after the founding of Savannah, James Oglethorpe established Fort Frederica to protect his southern boundary. FREDERICA - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. Fort Frederica was established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe to protect the southern boundary of his new colony of Georgia from the Spanish in Florida. About 630 British troops were stationed at the fort. Fort Frederica National Monument archaeologist Michael Siebert takes a measurement inside one of the pits dug during an archaeological dig currently going on at the fort. 6515 Frederica Rd. Named for Frederick Louis, the Prince of Wales (1702-1754), Frederica was a military outpost consisting of a fort and town. By 1743, nearly 1,000 people lived at Frederica. A marker for the Battle of Gully Hole Creek can be seen on Frederica Road just south of Fort Frederica. Its founders, General Oglethorpe and twenty other trustees saw it as a social experiment, a humanitarian mission to relieve unemployment and relief to those who crowded England's squalid debtors prisons. Before they arrived outside the gates of the town, General Oglethorpe took the offensive. The British followed up their victory by pursuing the Spanish. This altruistic goal eventually expanded to include the more pragmatic purposes of expanding trade for the mother country and providing a buffer colony on the southern frontier. 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. In 1736, on this historic site, Fort Frederica was constructed by the early settlers of the Colony of Georgia under General James Edward Oglethorpe. General Oglethorpe imported 5,000 mulberry trees to try an encourage silk production, but at no success. When peace was declared, Frederica's Garrison (the original 42nd Regiment of Foot) was disbanded, and eventually the town fell into decline. Fort Frederica is a National Monument in the state of Georgia, USA which was originally established by the British General James Oglethorpe in 1736 to fortify a British settlement. Interest revived in Fort Frederica in the 1900s. The fort was constructed in what was then considered part of the colony of South Carolina, but was territory later settled as Georgia. Other forts were located at the north and south ends of Cumberland Island and on the St. Johns River in Florida. In 1736, three years after the founding of Savannah, James Oglethorpe established Fort Frederica to protect his southern boundary. The ships forced a passage of Jekyll sound, following a lengthy cannonade with Fort St. Simons. Colonists from England, Scotland, and the Germanic states came to Frederica to support this endeavor. Fort Frederica National Monument is located at 6515 Frederica Road, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Lots had room for gardens and settlers were given additional acreage elsewhere on the island for growing crops. Nor was it alone it this purpose. A lone British flag stands at the remnants of Fort Frederica. In other ways, though, Frederica did succeed. These were distributed to the towns people on a regular basis. The local economy collapsed and as many as half the town's people left to seek their fortunes elsewhere. These, it eventually withdrew, providing Britain with a window of opportunity to fill the vacuum. Today, what is left of Fort Frederica is part of the National Parks network. St. Simons Island, GA Due to the Spanish threat only seventy-five miles away, General Oglethorpe took measures to fortify both, surrounding the entire forty- acre area with an outer wall. The fort was built in 1721 along what is now known as the Darien River and served as the southernmost outpost of the British Empire in the Americas until 1727. Fort Frederica History is hands on at the Museum Fort Frederica, St. Simons Island has a small, but engaging museum where children can dress up in period outfits, sit at a Tavern table, play colonial games and even write a letter with a quill. The town enjoyed a relative measure of prosperity owing to the crown's dispensation, but it was a prosperity that was built on military outlays. Fort Frederica, King's Magazine Ruins, Saint Simons Island, Glynn County, GA . 18th century drawing, artist unknown. This land (today's Georgia) was the epicenter of a centuries-old imperial conflict between Spain and Britain. Archeology Education at Fort Frederica Each year, over 1,000 4th grade students participate in an award-winning archeology program at Fort Frederica. The fort's location on a bend in the Frederica River allowed it to control approaches by enemy ships. Nevertheless, the settlers were also not expected to remain idle. Local residents took a lead in preserving the site as a reminder of America's colonial past. He sent a column of his own troops out to meet the Spanish in the wooded thickets east of Frederica. In time, many settlers replaced their bowers with more substantial structures than these, but nothing more than foundations remain today. There is a short film that explains the sites history. Our mission is to preserve and promote the future of Fort Frederica Though a 1758 fire destroyed most of the town, it had been a lively commercial center and military post at the edge of Fort Frederica was established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe to protect the southern boundary of his new colony of Georgia from the Spanish in Florida. March 9, 1736 - Ft. Frederica Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling are among the greatest hymns ever written. The Friends of Fort Frederica (FoFF), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, established in collaborate with the National Park Service. Fort Frederica National Monument, on St. Simons Island, Georgia, preserves the archaeological remnants of 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. Some would say Presbyterianism began with the original disciples of Jesus as the first elders of the church. Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, County Rd S-18-373, Summerville, SC 29485, USA 44 men and 72 women and children arrived to build the fort and town, and by the 1740s Frederica was a thriving village of about 500 citizens. 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