The bustling seaport of Sunbury wasonce the largest city of this region ofGeorgia. Sunbury was the destination for many trading ships loaded with cargo from regions around the world. Rum,sugar, and slaves arrived from the WestIndies. Clothes, tea, and iron goods were imported from Great Britain. Themost valuable exports from the portof Sunbury were rice and indigo.Merchants and traders used the OldSunbury Road to carry these goodsthroughout the coastal region.
Heading west from Sunbury, the roadfirst led to the town of Midway, 10 milesinland. This wagon traffic provided Midwayand local farms access to goods fromaround the world. Sunbury Road wasmost 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, hadbegun a slow, long decline.
The Old Sunbury Road Today
During the Colonial Era, the Old SunburyRoad was lined with fields and forests oflive oaks. The live oaks provided ashaded canopy which protected travelersfrom the summer sun. Today much of this [dirt] road is wider, smoother, straighter, and regularly maintained by modern equipment. Rows of planted pine treeshave replaced the natural forest. However some portions of the road still possess their historic natural vegetation,particularly near the original town ofSunbury.
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