Darien, Georgia
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Darien, Georgia | ||
---|---|---|
City | ||
City of Darien | ||
FIPS code 13-21716[3] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0331512[4] | |
Website | cityofdarienga.com |
Darien (
History
Colonial period
The British built Fort King George in 1721, near what would become Darien. At the time it was the southernmost outpost of the British Empire in North America. The fort was abandoned in 1727 following attacks from the Spanish. Its remains constitute the oldest fort on the Georgia coast.
The town of Darien (originally known as "New Inverness") was founded in January 1736 by
The Scots originated mainly from around Inverness and consisted of both Jacobite and Hanoverian supporting clans, the majority of whom spoke only Gaelic. When visited by Oglethorpe in February, the settlers had already constructed "a battery of four pieces of cannon, built a guardhouse, a storehouse, a chapel, and several huts for particular people."[6] Darien was laid out in accordance with the now-famous Oglethorpe Plan.[7]
They showed similar progress in the construction of military forts: by March the Scottish settlers had begun work on two forts, Fort St. Andrews on Cumberland Island,[8] and Fort St. George on the St. Johns River, 60 mi (100 km) to the south of the territory claimed by the British government in the Georgia charter.
In 1736, the British abandoned Fort St. George by agreement with the Spanish officials in Florida. In 1736 Darien settlers began work on Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island, a few miles south of Darien, between it and Cumberland Island. Scots settlers whose travel was paid for by the Trustees of the Colony were organized into two companies, the Highland Independent Company of Foot, an infantry force, and the Highland Rangers, a mounted force. By 1737 the constant military activity of the Darien colony was taking its toll. An additional 44 Highland settlers arrived to expand the town.
Initially the settlers' economy was based on the cultivation of crops; however, after the first year, they suffered a succession of poor harvests. They concentrated on rearing cattle and harvesting timber for sale in nearby Savannah.
In 1739 eighteen of the most prominent members of the Darien colony signed the first petition against the introduction of slavery into Georgia, in response to pleas to Oglethorpe and the trustees by inhabitants of Savannah to lift the prohibition of slavery.[9] The Highlanders' petition was successful, but slavery was introduced ten years later in 1749 because the proprietors could not attract enough laborers to make the colony profitable.
Conflicts continued with Spanish and Indian forces during this time. The
After the battle, a number of the settlers abandoned Darien for South Carolina. By 1741 another shipload of 43 colonists had arrived. These colonists received land grants from the trustees which specified that the land was to pass to the male or female descendants of the original recipients, in "Tail General". The trustees were trying to keep settlers in the colony. Previously, all land grants in the American colonies had been granted in "Tail Male", descending to only the male children. The Highland settlers objected to the change, as it went against their traditional
In January 1775, the city passed a resolution condemning slavery, saying:
To show the world that we are not influenced by any contracted or interested motives, but a general philanthropy for all mankind, of whatever climate, language, or complexion, we hereby declare our disapprobation and abhorrence of the unnatural practice of Slavery in America, (however the uncultivated state of our country, or other specious arguments may plead for it,) a practice founded in injustice and cruelty, and highly dangerous to our liberties, (as well as our lives,) debasing part of our fellow-creatures below men, and corrupting the virtue and morals of the rest; and is laying the basis of that liberty we contend for (and which we pray the Almighty to continue to the latest posterity) upon a very wrong foundation. We therefore resolve, at all times to use our utmost endevours for the manumission of Slaves...
— Darien Committee, Darien Resolutions, January 12, 1775[10]
Civil War and after
On June 11, 1863,
The First African Baptist Church (claimed to be the oldest African American church in the county) was destroyed along with the rest of the town. It was rebuilt, and later some meetings of the 20th-century
After the
Following the Civil War, Darien was rebuilt, with financial aid coming in small part from the family of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. He had been killed during the war but had written to his family of his shame in participating in the destruction of it.[16]
Into the early 1900s, Darien was one of the largest Southeastern ports for shipping lumber. When the timber was depleted, Darien became a fishing village, known primarily for Georgia wild shrimp. It was once famous for its oysters.
On September 8, 1930, two African American men, George Grant and Willie Bryan, were lynched by a mob of Darien's residents in the Darien Jail due to the death of Police Chief Robert L. Freeman and the wounding of Deputy Collins and two other officers while trying to capture the two men after a robbery at the Darien Bank. The town was put under martial law by Colonel W.R. Neal of the Georgia militia in response to the mob.[17][18]
There are 32 markers of historic sites near Darien and 42 markers in McIntosh County. (See the external link for a list.)
Darien in the 21st century has shown signs of growth. With the formation of the Interstate Highway System, Interstate 95 was constructed and passes approximately 1 mi (2 km) west of the city. This drew off businesses from the city center as development ensued near the I-95 interchange with GA 251. This has resulted in the building of several chain restaurants, gas stations, and hotels, as well as a small outlet mall. But downtown Darien has flourished with an emphasis on its historic heritage and the waterfront. Many new businesses have opened as the city has reclaimed its walking center.[citation needed]
Geography
Darien is located on the southern edge of McIntosh County at 31°22′16″N 81°25′51″W / 31.37111°N 81.43083°W (31.371134, −81.430742).[19] It is bordered to the south by the Altamaha River, 10 miles (16 km) upstream (west) from its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean. The city is sited on a low bluff overlooking the Darien River, a tidal channel that reaches the Atlantic at Doboy Sound north of the Altamaha.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.0 square miles (62 km2), of which 21.2 square miles (55 km2) are land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2), or 11.94%, are water.[1]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 550 | — | |
1860 | 570 | 3.6% | |
1870 | 547 | −4.0% | |
1880 | 1,543 | 182.1% | |
1890 | 1,491 | −3.4% | |
1900 | 1,739 | 16.6% | |
1910 | 1,391 | −20.0% | |
1920 | 823 | −40.8% | |
1930 | 937 | 13.9% | |
1940 | 1,015 | 8.3% | |
1950 | 1,380 | 36.0% | |
1960 | 1,569 | 13.7% | |
1970 | 1,826 | 16.4% | |
1980 | 1,731 | −5.2% | |
1990 | 1,783 | 3.0% | |
2000 | 1,719 | −3.6% | |
2010 | 1,975 | 14.9% | |
2020 | 1,460 | −26.1% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[20] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
810 | 55.48% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
542 | 37.12% |
Native American
|
14 | 0.97% |
Asian
|
15 | 1.03% |
Other/Mixed
|
58 | 3.97% |
Latino
|
21 | 1.44% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,460 people, 957 households, and 609 families residing in the city.
Government
The city has changed its form of government to council/manager and has hired a city manager.[citation needed]
Education
McIntosh County School District
The McIntosh County School District consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 121 full-time teachers and 1,979 students.[22]
- Todd Grant Elementary School
- McIntosh County Middle School
- McIntosh County Academy
Gallery
-
Waterfront Park
-
Methodist church
-
First African Baptist church
-
Postbellum house
-
The Darien River. The city of Darien is to the left.
See also
References
- ^ a b "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "P1. Race – Darien city, Georgia: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-8203-2718-1.
- ISBN 978-0-8139-3711-3.
- ISBN 978-0-8203-2741-9.
- ISBN 978-0-321-31814-5.
- ISBN 978-3-938616-42-0.
- ^ ""Montgomery's Raids in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina", by William Lee Apthorp, Lt. Colonel, 34th United States Colored Infantry, June 1864". Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "Massachusetts 54th Company A". www.mass54thcompany-a.com. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. I. Vol. XXXV. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1891. p. 424.
- ^ "Historical Markers by County - GeorgiaInfo". georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu. Digital Library of Georgia. 2016. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ "The Episcopal Community of McIntosh County". standrewsstcyprians.georgiaepiscopal.org. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ Burchard, Peter. One Gallant Rush, p.151
- ^ "Darien, Georgia Negro Lynchings". New York Times. September 9, 1930. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ Donald Lee Grant. The Way it was in the South: The Black Experience in Georgia, p.327
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ School Stats, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
Further reading
- Burchard, Peter (1965) One Gallant Rush St. Martin's Press, New York, NY;
- Parker, A.W. (1997) Scottish Highlanders in Colonial Georgia, The Recruitment, Emigration and Settlement at Darien, 1735–1748 University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA, ISBN 0-8203-1915-5;
- Sullivan, Buddy, ed. The Darien Journal of John Girardeau Legare, Ricegrower (University of Georgia Press; 2010). 168 pages. Journal kept by 1877 migrant from South Carolina, who documents the decline of rice cultivation in tidewater Georgia and the rise of the timber industry.
External links
- Official website
- Darien, Sherpa Guides
- Fort King George, Georgia State Parks
- Historical markers in McIntosh County, Georgia Info
- The burning of Darien
- "McIntosh County Roadside Historical Markers", Georgia Magazine, December 17, 2005