The Dead Town Of Sunbury
As General James Oglethorpe explored this
area along the Medway River in 1734, he
marveled at its potential for a seaport city.
Captain Mark Carr was a member of
Oglethorpe's regiment and an early settler
in this area of Georgia. As trade increased
in early colonial Georgia, Captain Carr
petitioned for a land grant to bring
Oglethorpe's idea into reality. He was
allotted 500 acres from the King of England.
Using this land, Carr established the town
of Sundbury in 1758. Carr was an early
developer. He laid out lots and public
squares here on the Medway River in
St. John's Parish. He hoped to sell these
lots for a profit.
The Growth of a Town
Sunbury started as a seaport for the
settlement of Medway, which lay 10 miles
inland, and for surrounding farms and
plantations in the parish. As migration
to the town increased, Sunbury's port
rivaled Savannah's trade market and
became the second - largest shipping
port in colonial Georgia. In fact,
Sunbury was the second - largest town
in Georgia just before the Revolution,
with a population off approximately 1,000.
The Beginning of the End
The Revolutionary War ruined the
prosperous town of Sunbury. By 1778, the
British occupied much of coastal Georgia,
including Savannah, but not Sunbury. The
colonial forces fought off a British attack
by sea in November 1778, using cannon
fire on the British ships. A second British
fleet attack on Sunbury was successful.
The British occupied the town for three
years and left it in shambles. Sunbury
never recovered from the effects of war.
Sunbury, like other Southern cities and
towns, saw many deaths from Yellow Fever
in 1700s, and suffered more troubles when
two hurricanes struck in 1804 and 1824.
By the middle of the 1800s, Sunbury had
become nearly a ghost town.
Marker is on Brigantine Dunsmore Road near Fort Morris Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
