The Calwell House, Frederica

Although Oglethorpe had departed, the existence of Frederica was assured - for a time. Isolated from Savannah and exposed to Spanish attack, the settlement did have certain advantages. It was a relatively healthy location compared to other frontier towns, and the women of Frederica were considered to be among the most fertile in all of coastal Georgia. This raw frontier village had grown in fits and starts over the years. The two companies of soldiers and their families stationed in the town had increased the population to perhaps four hundred souls. An earthen wall, palisade and moat had surrounded the settlement since 1739, and a wide street ran from the town gate to the fort on the river. This main thoroughfare was lined with orange trees, and most of the lots were occupied by small clapboard houses or log huts.

Encompassing almost an acre, the fort boasted a blacksmith shop, a well and two brick and timber storehouses of three floors each, with the top floor of the east storehouse used as the town's chapel. The earthen walls of the fort had been reinforced with a cement-like material known as tabby.

This curious mixture - made of sand, oyster shell, lime and water - was used to strengthen the fort, to construct a barracks for the soldiers, and to erect a few houses for the officers and prominent citizens of the town. Since it was expensive to import brick and the wooden dwellings quickly succumbed to the semi-tropical climate, tabby proved to be an excellent alternative. Water and sand were abundant; oyster shells were plentiful, having been collected in huge mounds by the Guale Indians. When burned, these shells were reduced to lime. Oglethorpe probably saw examples of tabby in Carolina, and the Carolinians had perhaps observed the technique at St. Augustine (where it had been in use since 1670) or acquired it through a Spanish prisoner or slave. However tabby came to Georgia, Oglethorpe used it to good advantage at Frederica.

Growth was not restricted to the town - the entire island had become more settled, if not self-supporting. The Salzburgers, who kept to themselves in their own little enclave known as German Village, were hard-working and industrious. Although most of the town folk had an aversion to farming, many soldiers cultivated their five-acre allotments to supplement their pay.

The Barracks, Fort Frederica

Orchards provided dates, limes, figs, peaches and pomegranates; cotton was grown in small quantities, and hay was cut and stacked in the meadows adjacent to the town. Thousands of mulberry trees were planted at the south end of the island in an effort to fulfill the Trustee's elusive quest for a silk industry.

There were also the "plantations" of those who had received land grants of up to five hundred acres. Captain Raymond Demere, John Terry (the town recorder), George Dunbar (a Scottish sea captain), and others worked to make their land productive. Oglethorpe also built a cottage just near the town wall that was to be his only home in Georgia.

Life in the town reflected the diverse elements that made up its population, and the often-conflicting philosophies of defense, material gain and philanthropy thrust upon it by the Trustee's plan. In all probability, the inhabitants of Frederica were no better or worse than any group of similar size and circumstance of any era. On a stroll through Frederica's streets during its heyday, one would be confronted by a colorful assortment: Indians, backwoods rangers, soldiers, sailors, tradesmen of every description, men who presumed to be gentlemen, indentured servants of the Trust, pretty serving maids, the accomplished and the ne'er-do-wells - each and all a part of Frederica.

But first and foremost, Frederica was a military town. By 1744, the armed forces were the largest employer in Georgia. Soldiers of the 42nd Regiment stationed at St. Simons were typical of any army of the day - they were lazy, drank too much, and frequently chased the women folk of Frederica. Some resorted to the "lewd house" of Mrs. Campbell, while a few had little compunction against rape. The officers were a quarrelsome lot, often causing as much trouble as their troops. In 1739, the future hero of Bloody Marsh, Lt. Patrick Sutherland, dueled with an ensign, the latter losing his leg. In 1740, while campaigning in Florida, an ensign killed a civilian surgeon, and one cadet killed another in a sword duel. The next year, a fatal sword wound ended the duel of two captains. Frederica's own officers caused more casualties to the regiment than the invading Spanish army at Bloody Marsh. Despite their disreputable conduct, the soldiers of the King were appreciated for the impact their payroll had upon the town's economy.

The Barracks, Fort Frederica

With Oglethorpe's preoccupation with military concerns, the day-to-day administration of the colony was carried out through a system of appointed bailiffs, constables and tithingmen. Frederica's administrative system was a duplicate of Savannah's but with its own magistrate to uphold the law. In 1741, Georgia was divided into two counties, each with its own president. Although a president was never named for Frederica, Oglethorpe's dominating presence filled the need. When he returned to England, however, the plan was abandoned and Frederica answered to the Savannah president.

Religious freedom was allowed in Georgia as long as one didn't become a Roman Catholic. While not particularly religious himself, Oglethorpe realized its importance when he settled Frederica. Two young ministers, John and Charles Wesley, accompanied by their devoted companions, Benjamin Ingham and Charles Delamotte, came to Georgia with Oglethorpe in 1736. Ingham attempted to shepherd the flock at Frederica a bit too closely and found that his "love and kindness were repaid with hatred and ill-will." He returned to England the following year.

John and Charles Wesley had been tutors at Oxford and eagerly embraced the opportunity to convert the heathen Indian in the New World. John, the elder brother, became minister to Savannah, while Charles was Oglethorpe's secretary, minister at Frederica and Secretary of Indian Affairs. These young men, ordained by the Church of England, were totally unsuited to the realities of the Georgia frontier ministry despite their good intentions. Charles' harping criticisms of Frederica irritated the settlers and Oglethorpe alike. Beata Hawkins and Anne Welch, a pair of sharp-tongued housewives whose gossip kept the town in turmoil, spread malicious rumors about him, and even the laundry woman refused to wash his linen. He returned to England after only three months, his congregation "reduced to two Presbyterians and a Baptist."

John fared little better. He visited Frederica for about a month in May of 1736, just after Charles left. He returned again in July for about three months, and finally in January, stayed almost three weeks. He had no better luck than his brother in winning the confidence of the Frederica folk (Beata Hawkins threatened to shoot him), and he confined his ministries to Savannah. He incurred the wrath of the townsfolk there as well, and slipped away in the dead of night to catch a ship to England in order to avoid a lawsuit and arrest.

Next came the Reverend George Whitfield. Although assigned to Frederica in 1737, Whitfield roamed throughout the colonies, neglecting Frederica and Savannah. He was finally replaced at Frederica by William Norris in 1739, whose constant feuding with the Trustees prompted his return to England in 1740. The Reverend Thomas Bosomworth, the last husband of Mary Musgrove, the Indian interpreter, inherited the job for a short time. He preferred Frederica over Savannah, but illness forced his return to England. Finally, a Swiss, Bartholomew Zouberbuhler, was equal to the task of preaching in Georgia, and made a valuable contribution until his death in 1766.

Education wasn't given the same priority as religion in Frederica; it wasn't until 1745 that John Ulrich Driesler was appointed schoolmaster. Pastor of the Salzburgers who lived just outside the town wall, Driesler won the job only after assurances were given that he would learn to speak English as well as his native German.

The English: The Decline

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