Sunbury, now numbered among the Dead Towns of Georgia, old Sunbury was once a
great seaport, said to rival Savannah in commercial importance. Laid out in
1758, on a tract of 350 acres conveyed by Mark Carr for the purpose to James
Maxwell, Kenneth Baillie, John Elliott, Grey Elliott and John Stevens, as
Trustees, the town contained 496 lots and embraced three squares - King's,
Church and Meeting. The first session of Superior Court in Liberty County was
held in Sunbury, Nov. 18, 1783, and it remained the County Seat until 1797.
Home of Many Famous Persons
Many famous persons lived in the town of
Sunbury. Among them was Dr. Lyman Hall, signer of the Declaration of
Independence. It was also the home of Richard Howley and Nathan Brownson, later
governors of Georgia; of John Elliott and Alfred Cuthbert, United States
Senators; of Major John Jones and Major Lachlan McIntosh. Button Gwinnett,
another signer of the Declaration of Independence, spent much time here as a
justice of St. John's Parish, and Georgia's third signer, George Walton, was
among those held in Sunbury as a prisoner of the British during the Revolution.
Maria J. McIntosh, noted authoress, and her brother, Commodore James McKay
McIntosh, hero of the Mexican War, were born in Sunbury. The Hon. John E. Ward,
first United States Minister to China, and the Hon. William Law, noted jurist,
were also natives of Sunbury.
When the Continental Congress convened in 1776, the delegates recognized the
importance of a fort to protect their growing seaport from the British. Soon
afterwards, a low bluff on the Medway River at Sunbury was fortified and
garrisoned by 200 patriots. When the British demanded the fort’s surrender on
November 25, 1778, the defiant Col. John McIntosh replied, "Come and take it!"
The British refused and withdrew back to Florida. Forty-five days later, they
returned with a superior force, and on January 9, 1779, Fort Morris fell after a
short but heavy bombardment. Under the name of Fort Defiance, this bulwark was
once again used against the British during the War of 1812. Today, visitors can
stand within the earthwork remains and view scenic Saint Catherines Sound. A
museum and film describe the colonial port of Sunbury and the site’s
history.
Reference:
Georgia State
Parks
Georgia
Magazine
Fort
Morris
Georgia State Parks / Fort Morris
Sunbury Cemetery
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