Darien and its Railroads - Historical Marker
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Columbus Square Railroad Depot by Buddy Sullivan

 In December 1999 a historical marker was erected  in Columbus Square, Darien, Georgia by the Georgia Historical Society and the Lower Altamaha Historical Society.

Columbus Square Railroad Depot 

In 1889 the Darien Shortline Railroad was organized to transport yellow pine timber to the Darien sawmills from Georgia’s interior. Originating in Tattnall County and continuing through Liberty County, the Darien & Western line was completed in 1895 to its terminus near this spot where a passenger depot was built, now marked by the gazebo.  In 1906 the line was bought by the Georgia Coast & Piedmont Railroad, which extended the line 18 miles south to Brunswick in 1914.  The train depot was then moved from Columbus Square to the riverfront near the present U.S. Highway 17 bridge.  The depot burned in 1971.

Erected by The Georgia Historical Society and the Lower Altamaha Historical Society

The Burning of Darien   -  Historical Marker

The marker was unveiled on the lawn of Darien City Hall, September 22, 2001. The marker was made possible by The Georgia Historical Society and The Lower Altamaha Historical Society.

 On June 11, 1863 the seaport of Darien was vandalized and burned by Federal forces stationed on nearby St. Simons Island. The town was largely deserted, most of its 500 residents having sought refuge inland. Lost were public buildings, churches, businesses  and most private residences. Conducting the raid were units comprised of among the first African-American troops to serve the Union cause, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers under Col, Robert G. Shaw, and the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers under Col. James Montgomery. The burning of Darien, undefended and of little strategic importance, was one of the most controversial events of the Civil War.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Lower Altamaha Historical Society   Burning of Darien Program  September 22, 2001
 

Saturday, January 25, 2003; 10:00 a.m. Sapelo Visitors Center — Meridian, Ga.
11:00 a.m. Welcome Center Darien, Ga.

LAHS dedicated two Historical Markers in Darien and McIntosh County on Saturday, January 25. Following the unveiling ceremony for The Port of Darien, a reception was held at the Welcome Center, Darien. These markers are possible through the Historical Marker Program of the Georgia Historical Society. The text for the markers are below:

Sapelo Island

Situated five miles to the east, Sapelo was inhabited by Guale Indians 5,000 years ago and was the site of a 16th century Franciscan mission. During his ownership of Sapelo from 1802-1851, Thomas Spalding was a leading plainer of Sea Island cotton and sugar cane. Slave descendants still live on the island at Hog Hammock. Sapelo was owned by automotive pioneer Howard E. Coffin, 1912-1934, and tobacco heir Richard J. Reynolds, 1934-1964. The University of Georgia Marine Institute opened on Sapelo in 1953. The State of Georgia bought the island in 1969.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Lower Altamaha Historical Society.

The Port of Darien
 

Situated ten miles from the Atlantic near the mouth of the Altamaha River, Darien attained prominence as a seaport in the 1820s. Rice and upland cotton from Georgia’s interior were shipped from this waterfront. From 1870 to 1900, Darien served as the leading international timber center on the east coast through the milling and shipment of yellow pine and cypress rafted down the Altamaha River. With the decline of the timber trade, Darien turned to the commercial harvest of seafood, and was homeport to one of Georgia's largest shrimp boat fleets by the 1940s.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Lower Altamaha Historical Society.
 

Ashantilly     

Year Erected: 2009

Marker Text: Built ca. 1820, Ashantilly was the mainland residence of prominent antebellum planter Thomas Spalding (1774-1851), owner of the nearby Sapelo Island plantation. The house, likely built by Spalding’s slaves, was constructed of tabby, an equal mix of oyster shell, sand, water and lime. Ashantilly was named for Spalding’s ancestral home in County Perth, Scotland. He died at Ashantilly and is interred in the family burial ground adjacent to the property. William G. Haynes, Jr. (1908 – 2001), proprietor of the Ashantilly Press, was the last private owner of Ashantilly. In 1993 the Haynes family donated the property to the Ashantilly Center, Inc.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Lower Altamaha Historical Society.

Dedication Program 10/25/09