---
title: "St. Marys Historic Walking Tour"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/8aa24645-41bc-4776-bbc2-644dfb051195
source_url: "https://visitstmarys.com/st-marys-history-walk"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/travel/stack/11d2e664-2bd6-4cf0-b62e-67274a5d0e1a
summary: "St. Marys History Walk is a self-guided 600-foot walking trail featuring 24 interpretive panels that outline the area's history, from Native American inhabitation through Spanish missions, colonial settlement, and maritime heritage. The trail, located at the corner of Bartlett St. and W. St. Marys Street, covers topics including the Timucua Indians, shipbuilding, the Acadian refugees, and Gullah-Geechee culture."
tags: "st-marys, history-walk, georgia, colonial-history, heritage, interpretive-trail, coastal-georgia"
key_entities: "St. Marys (location), Cumberland Island (location), Georgia (location), Timucua Indians (Mocama) (concept), History Walk (concept), St. Marys River (location), Jacob Weed (person), John Patterson (person), Gullah-Geechee culture (concept), San Pedro de Mocama (location), Orange Hall (location), Henry Osborne (person), Acadian refugees (concept), Spanish missions (concept), French and Indian War (event)"
classification: "reference"
content_hash: "sha256:0c901426ea58a50e0f1b7eaa997df4f01f2b49b52c010d635533043efd7959ff"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 2483
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# St. Marys Historic Walking Tour

Home Independence Day Festival Fireworks Soundtrack Events Calendar Music in the Park Hello Summer - Fishing Crawfish Festival Memorial Day St. Marys Seafood Fest... Build-A-Scarecrow Haunted History Tour Christmas in the Park Christmas Tour of Homes Merry Makers Market Mardi Gras Events STAY All Lodging Bed and Breakfasts Hotels Campgrounds and RV Parks Vacation Rentals EXPLORE Adventure Heritage and Culture St. Marys History Walk Shopping and Services Community Market Biking Trails On the Water Boat Ramps Parks Orange Hall Pet Services EAT Downtown St. Marys Midtown and Beyond All Area Dining Marina BLOG More WEDDINGS Videos Maps and Documents PRESS Contact Us Accessible Travel Transporation HISTORY St. Mary History Walk Explore the History of the Area The history walk offers education beyond the classroom along a 600-foot walking trail, where 24 interpretive panels outline the area's history. As you begin your self-guided tour, you’re drawn into our history and culture. Located at the corner of Bartlett St. & W. St. Marys Street. Lost Native Americans Prior to European settlement, Southeast Georgia was inhabited by the Timucua Indians, known as the Mocama. Severely diminished by the 17th Century due to infectious diseases and conflict, the Mocama were evacuated to Cuba by the Spanish in 1763, prior to extinction.   Georgia's Spanish Period  From roughly 1568 through 1684, 12 Spanish missions were established from St. Augustine to what is now coastal South Carolina. On Cumberland Island, the Franciscan mission San Pedro de Mocama ministered to the Native Americans.   The Birth of a City Plans for the city of St. Marys, originally known as Buttermilk Bluff, were conceived by the British in 1767.  The Articles of Agreement were signed on Cumberland Island in 1787 when the first American owner, Jacob Weed, sold 1,620 acres to 19 other men for $38 each.  The Tragic Acadians These French-speaking refugees were forced to leave their homes in Nova Scotia by the British during the French & Indian War. The oppressed Acadians ultimately sought refuge in St. Marys in the late 1790’s after fleeing the slave revolt in Santo Domingo, after a slave revolt in nearby Haiti. a slave revolt in nearby Santo Domingo and another The Washington Pump & Oak    St. Marys’ fresh drinking water was provided by six original wells, one in each city square. The last working well, located in the median in front of Orange Hall, was polluted by the "tidal wave" of 1818.  International Border Town The St. Marys River is the border between Georgia and Florida. For much of its history, St. Marys was the southernmost community separating two nations (Spanish Florida). Thus, Georgians closely watched their neighbors to the South.   Tall Ships in the Harbor  Pre-Colonial St. Marys saw visits by European maritime powers in caravels, carracks and galleons. It has been said that, at one time, 300 such ships lay at anchor in the St. Marys River.   Shipbuilding Launched in St. Marys In the 1790’s, Col. John Patterson, a master shipbuilder from Philadelphia, established a shipyard in St. Marys. In 1798, the U.S. Galley , St. Marys , was launched from the Patterson shipyard, followed by The General Oglethorpe in 1801, and by 1837, “more boats had been built in St. Marys than in any other port in Georgia” ( The Savannah Georgian ).  Ships Under Sail A naturally deep river, the St. Marys was utilized by Native Americans long before European explorers documented its existence. Slavers, smugglers, and pirates all plied the river in their tall ships and river craft, industrious in their illicit trades. In 1785, the importance of St. Marys as a shipping point was recognized by the appointment of Henry Osborne as U.S. Customs Agent.  The Enduring Gullah Gullah (the name given to the Islanders of South Carolina) and Geechee (the name given to islanders of Georgia) culture is linked to West African ethnic groups enslaved on island plantations to grow rice, indigo, and cotton as early as 1750.   Cumberland Island National Seashore  Just seven miles by water from this site, Cumberland Island National Seashore is home to a rich mosaic of historic sites: The home of American Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene, sea island cotton plantations tended by enslaved Africans, and Dungeness, a vacation getaway for the Carnegies, one of the nation’s most prominent industrial families.   Logs to Lumber Before the 1860’s, commercial logging occurred primarily along navigable streams where logs could be floated to downstream ports.  Johnstone Mills were clearly marked on a 1790 map of the area, and in 1802, Archibald Clark built his mill on the St. Marys River.   Pine Gum to Turpentine to Paper  The 1870s saw a countywide boom in the production of turpentine, a resin distilled from pine gum. The labor was intensive, back-breaking, and conducted during the hottest, most humid time of year when gum was harvested from the trees.   Canning In Camden St. Marys hosted several canning plants specializing in preserving local shrimp, beans, and sweet potatoes. In 1917, a pogy (fish) processing plant was located on the east side of downtown.   Riding the Rails Trains were slow to reach St. Marys, arriving only in 1908, although Captain Lemuel Johnson founded the St. Marys Kingsland Railroad in 1865. A wood-fired locomotive departed from the depot at the Osborne Street waterfront, circled downtown, then headed to Kingsland.  The Forgotten Battle President Harry S. Truman called it “the silliest damned war we ever fought. It should have been resolved through diplomacy,” but… Declared by the U.S. Congress against Great Britain on June 18, 1812, the war was mainly fought in the north and along the Canadian border until May 1814, when Britain extended its East Coast blockade to include Georgia.  Weathering the War of 1812 Put in place in 1810, U.S. Navy Gunboats, small rowable riverboats placed in service by President Jefferson to defend the home waters of the U.S., were stationed at Naval Station St. Marys/Pt. Peter. In September 1813, a Category 3 hurricane hit St. Marys, severely damaging nine of them. Every ship in the harbor except one sank or ran aground, wiping out U.S. Naval defenses in the region.   The Last Battles Even though the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, had been signed on December 24, 1814, and the British had sustained a stunning defeat at the Battle of New Orleans, the war still reached St. Marys. On January 13, 1815, an amphibious assault launched by Admiral Cockburn’s forces resulted in the capture of the garrison at Pt. Peter and the occupation of St. Marys.  Black Refugees In April 1814, British Vice-Admiral Alexander Cochrane issued a Proclamation encouraging any person who wished to withdraw from the United States to board British ships as freed men bound for British colonies. Hundreds of black slaves from southern plantations escaped to Admiral George Cockburn’s ships anchored off the Georgia coast and Cumberland Island.   The Civil War Comes to St. Marys In November 1862, the steamer Neptune and gunboat Mohawk, under the command of Col. Ritch with the 9th Maine Regiment descended upon St. Marys. They were immediately fired upon by local forces, who returned fire in retaliation. Firing continued until the Seal sisters came toward the waterfront, offering surrender. Captain Hughes had decided to leave town, but when shots were fired, Union forces descended, and much of the town was left in ashes. The Civil War: Local People Moses Dallas was an enslaved person from St. Marys when he began working for the Confederate Navy. He was a riverboat pilot of the ironclad CSS Savannah.  On June 3, 1864, Moses piloted over 120 men in seven boats safely through the sound near Savannah to ambush a prized Federal side-wheel gunboat, the USS Water Witch.  The Civil War: Local Landmarks   Methodist Chapel – Circa 1856, was used as a slaughterhouse by Union troops. Church records state, “the town was in possession of the enemy- the church closed- the flock scattered.” Southern Signature Many downtown historic homes showcase the architecture and lifestyle of the South. The oldest home in St. Marys (1801), the Archibald Clark House, was occupied by British forces during the War of 1812. Circa 1830, Orange Hall, a stellar example of Greek Revival architecture, was originally built for the family of Horace Pratt, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church.   A Military Town for 200+ Years By 1740, English General James Oglethorpe had established two forts (Fort St Andrews and Fort William) on Cumberland Island to monitor the Spanish to the south. When the St Marys River separated nations, America’s military had an important strategic presence. Fort Tammany, built in the early 1790’s, near the corner of St Marys and Wheeler Streets, was staffed with Federal Dragoons and in service for about 20 years.   Copyright © 2020 St. Marys Convention & Visitors Bureau - Visit St. Marys & Cumberland Island Ga - All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2020 St. Marys Convention & Visitors Bureau - Visit St. Marys & Cumberland Island Ga - All Rights Reserved.    The mission of the St. Marys Convention & Visitors Bureau (SMCVB) is to promote St. Marys, Cumberland Island, and the Camden County area as a desirable tourist destination, increase the overall economic impact and overnight stays of visitors to the area, and foster a quality visitor experience to benefit the city. Home PRESS Contact Us HISTORY Privacy Policy Powered by This website uses cookies. We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data. Accept