Ardoch. Near here was Ardoch Plantation, the home of the McDonalds and Gignilliats from Colonial Days through the Civil War when it was sold to former slaves. During the Revolutionary War these McDonalds were Loyalists, as were many families of Coastal Georgia. In 1782, Patriot companies of Captain Patrick Carr and Captain Samuel West deserted the command of General Anthony Wayne and plundered St. Andrew's Parish. They murdered eleven Loyalists including Ardoch's owner, Charles McDonald. McDonald was killed in his own doorway in the presence of his wife and children and the house was burned. The plantation was confiscated by the State but later returned to his widow. 095-16 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 2011
U.S. 17 approx. 7 miles north of Darien, Darien, GA, United States
Ashantilly. Built ca. 1820, Ashantilly was the mainland residence of prominent antebellum planter Thomas Spalding (1774-1851), owner of the nearby Sapelo Island plantation. The house, likely built by Spalding's slaves, was constructed of tabby, an equal mix of oyster shell, sand, water and lime. Ashantilly was named for Spalding's ancestral home in County Perth, Scotland. He died at Ashantilly and is interred in the family burial ground adjacent to the property. William G. Haynes, Jr. (1908-2001), proprietor of the Ashantilly Press, was the last private owner of Ashantilly. In 1993 the Haynes family donated the property to the Ashantilly Center, Inc. 2009.03 Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and The Lower Altamaha Historical Society 95-05
Ridge Road (State Road 99), south of Shantilly Road, north of St. Andrews Cemetery Rd., Darien, GA, United States
Birthplace of John McIntosh Kell [full inscription unknown]
Kell Ave and GA-99, Darien, GA, United States
The Burning of Darien. On June 11, 1863 the seaport of Darien was vandalized and burned by Federal forces stationed on nearby St. Simons Island. The town was largely deserted, most of its 500 residents having sough refuge inland. Lost were public buildings, churches, businesses and most private residences. Conducting the raid were units comprised of among the first African-American troops to serve the Union cause, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers under Col. Robert G. Shaw, and the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers under Col. James Montgomery. The burning of Darien, undefended and of little strategic importance, was one of the most controversial events of the Civil War. 2001.10Erected by The Georgia Historical Society and Lower Altamaha Historical Society 95-2
City Hall, one block from U.S. 17, Darien, GA, United States
Capture of 23 Old Men in 1864. Near here, in Ebenezer Church, 23 old men were captured by Federal troops on the night of August 3rd, 1864. These civilians, too old for military service, were the sole protection of McIntosh County, which was constantly being plundered by forces from blockade gunboats. Advised of the meeting by spies, Federal troops surrounded the church in the darkness and opened fire. The old men were captured and marched overland to Blue and Hall Landing near Darien, where they were put on board ship and taken to northern prisons. 095-33 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1957
U.S. 17 approx. nine miles north of Darien, Darien, GA, United States