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This morning the sunlight returned and there was nary a cloud in the sky as we passed over the Sidney Lanier Bridge. We decided to give that Oceanside bicycle path a second chance and headed back over to Jekyll Island. We both had a terrific ride and some quality time sitting in the sun just listening to the waves.
In the afternoon we went back to St. Simons. Since the powers that be in Washington have momentarily come to their senses we had decided to see if the National Historic Monument at Fort Frederica was open. It was open and staffed by some “happy to be back at work rangers”.
The fort and town were established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe to protect the southern boundary of his new colony of Georgia and, in particular, his new settlement at Savannah from the Spanish in Florida. Which nation actually held claim to the Georgia land was debatable and in 1742 the Spanish attacked St. Simons Island and were repelled by a coalition of the British, Scots, and Natives under Oglethorpe’s command at the Battle of Bloody Marsh. This battle was one of the last of the wonderfully named War of Jenkins Ear. A British naval officer named, Jenkins lost his ear when the Spanish boarded his ship in 1739. The war was fought on several continents and the Battle on St. Simons was one of the last.
With Marsha's interest in interpreting history for visitors to Lexington, she frequently takes pictures of good ideas she sees at other venues. Here are some:
With Marsha's interest in interpreting history for visitors to Lexington, she frequently takes pictures of good ideas she sees at other venues. Here are some:
The site was excavated beginning in the 1940’s and today the archeological remains are protected and interpreted by the National Park Service. It is a beautiful site resplendent with Live Oak trees dripping with Spanish moss and Orange Trees.
The foundations of the several houses are visible as was as the battlements of the fort. The interpretive signs and artifact cases coupled with the relatively new technology of audio content accessed by QR codes combine to tell the story quite effectively.