Submerged Sites of Camden County, Georgia Document Research and Underwater Survey Plan

Camden County is Georgia’s southeastern most county, separated from Florida on the south only by the St. Marys River. Today the county is bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by Glynn County, and on the west by Charlton County. The county lies 84 miles south southwest of the city of Savannah and 36 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida. Camden County measures 783 square miles (USGS 2006). As late as 1977, the population of Camden County totaled only 11,334 (USDA 1980:1). Today the population of the county has increased dramatically to 43,664 (Georgia.gov).

Camden County was created on February 5, 1777. Its namesake was the Earl of Camden, Sir Charles Pratt, who supported American colonial rights in spite of his standing as Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor of England (USGS 2006). While the county was not created until 1777, the area was organized 12 years earlier as Saint Thomas and St. Mary parishes (USFS 2006).

Camden County was one of eight original counties created in Georgia in 1777. Parts of the county were later divided to create Charlton and Wayne counties (USDA 1980:2).

Major settlements consisted of St. Marys, Kingsland, and Woodbine. Kingsland was incorporated in 1908. Woodbine is the county seat and was incorporated on August 13, 1908. Its establishment was a result of the Savannah and Western Railroad line. Other communities sprung up throughout the county including Browntown, Burnt Fort, Colesburg, Dover Bluff, Ella Park, Harrietts Bluff, Horse Stamp, Jefferson, Jerusalem, Kinlaw, Spring Bluff, Waverly, White Oak, and Tarboro (Redick 1976:1). Some of these are depicted in Figure 1 and Figure 2. Many of these small communities such as Waverly, Tarboro, and White Oak are unincorporated. Other settlements, such as Jefferson/Jeffersonton and Coleraine, played key roles in the history of the area.