DARIEN — This year celebrates the tricentennial of a turning point in North American colonial history. Three centuries ago, British soldiers established their first fort on land that was to become the colony of Georgia. Called Fort King George, it protected a low bluff on the mighty Altamaha River from French and Spanish explorers, as well as Guale Indians.

From 1721 until 1727, Fort King George — now a state historic site — served as the southern boundary of the British Empire in North America. After a fire damaged buildings, General James Oglethorpe brought Scottish Highlanders to the site in 1736. Their settlement was called Darien, eventually becoming a bustling seaport that rivaled Savannah for shipping lumber.

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