St. Marys is a beautiful little city of about 18,000 people in Southern Georgia. It is located on the St Marys River, six miles from the Atlantic Ocean. I was really surprised by how many neat sites it had for such a small city.
It’s known as the gateway to Cumberland Island, the largest of the barrier Islands in Georgia. It has the only public ferry to the island there. The city also borders the King’s Bay Submarine base.
St. Marys was established on an old abandoned Timicuan Indian Village site. Two brothers of the Royal Governor owned it and the land was confiscated after the American Revolution because of their Royalist sympathies. After the confiscation, Jacob Weed, a planter and state legislator, got it. He sold the land to 19 other men and together they laid out the town in 1788. St. Marys was established by an act of the state legislature in 1792.
Acadian refugees arrived in 1791 from Santo Domingo after a Haitian revolt. They were originally deported by the British from Canada.
Through the years, it’s been important for ship building, fishing and the military. It also had lumber and paper as major industries. Now the economy depends on tourism and the the nearby submarine base.
The St. Marys National Historic District really is neat. It has nineteenth century houses, buildings and shops. The Oak Grove Cemetery is one of the oldest in Georgia and my favorite. The historic district has a submarine museum too but due to Covid-19 wasn’t open when I went. The city is also home to the annual St. Marys Rock Shrimp Festival. Restaurants are really good and known for their seafood.
If you are going to Cumberland Island, I’d recommend spending an extra day in the area to visit St. Marys.
