The Old Sunbury Road
The bustling seaport of Sunbury was
once the largest city of this region of
Georgia. Sunbury was the destination
for many trading ships loaded with cargo
from regions around the world. Rum,
sugar, and slaves arrived from the West
Indies. Clothes, tea, and iron goods
were imported from Great Britain. The
most valuable exports from the port
of Sunbury were rice and indigo.
Merchants and traders used the Old
Sunbury Road to carry these goods
throughout the coastal region.
Heading west from Sunbury, the road
first led to the town of Midway, 10 miles
inland. This wagon traffic provided Midway
and local farms access to goods from
around the world. Sunbury Road was
most important before the Revolution,
when the town of Sunbury was a busy
seaport. By 1786, the town of Sunbury,
along with use of the historic road, had
begun a slow, long decline.
The Old Sunbury Road Today
During the Colonial Era, the Old Sunbury
Road was lined with fields and forests of
live oaks. The live oaks provided a
shaded canopy which protected travelers
from the summer sun. Today much of this
[dirt] road is wider, smoother, straighter,
and regularly maintained by modern
equipment. Rows of planted pine trees
have replaced the natural forest.
However some portions of the road still
possess their historic natural vegetation,
particularly near the original town of
Sunbury.
Marker is on Sunbury Road 0.1 miles west of Fort Morris Road, on the left when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
