The Remains of the Town of Frederica, Georgia

The fort was built on the Frederica River to control river

 traffic & defend against Spanish raids into

 this disputed territory.

The fort and the town of Frederica were named after Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, son of King George II.

The town was laid out in grids,

with Broad Street being the

main artery.

The homes have been excavated and studied.  A map and a 1743 census of the town were found. These documents provided much needed information on the colonists and their livelihoods.  I photographed a few of the remains of the homes.

Levi & Ann Bennett lived here
& ran the town's tavern.

John Calwell & his family

lived here & made candles

& soaps.

Calwell, like many other town residents had multiple jobs. including shopkeeper, traveling merchant, surveyor, bailiff and "Conservator of the Peace."

The map of Frederica helped

researchers establish that this

used to be the Butcher Shop.

This was the home of Mary

Musgrove Matthews, General

Oglethorpe's Indian Interpreter.

Mary was knows as Coosaponakeesa among the Creek Indians.  She was the daughter of English trader Edward Griffin and a Creek Indian woman.  Mary took advantage of her mixed heritage to protect Creek interests and expand her business as a trader.

Artifacts found at the ruins
are displayed.

The Town of Frederica was to be short lived.  Most of the town burned in 1758.  After the fire, residents returned and salvaged what they could before leaving for new settlements. Later, the US government sent in loggers to harvest Live Oak Trees for ship building.  The land became part of a plantation and was not redeveloped, leaving it untouched and ready for archaeologists to excavate and research.