In 1736, on this historic site, Fort Frederica was constructed by the early settlers of the Colony of Georgia under General James Edward Oglethorpe. It was the strongest fortification built by Great Britain on American soil and its purpose was to protect Georgia and the colonies to the north from the Spaniards who were already established in Florida.
In 1742, six years later, more than 3,000 Spanish troops landed in 52 vessels at Gascoigne Bluff on St. Simons island. The British forces advanced to meet them and decisively defeated the Spaniards in the Battle of Bloody Marsh. Thus Fort Frederica fulfilled the purpose for which it was built and Georgia remained a British colony. In 1903 after more than a century and a half of disuse and decay the small remaining ruins were conveyed to Mrs. Belle Stevens Taylor to Mrs. Georgia Pace King Wilder as president of the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America, who sought to preserve and restore Fort Frederica. In this patriotic undertaking they were assisted by generous citizens of Georgia and other states who formed the Fort Frederica Association and rendered aid in money, property, and services to make this land available for restoration. In 1945 their efforts were rewarded when the United States Government established Fort Frederica National Monument.
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