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Liberty's Trail
History buffs have descended on Liberty County for years, making
pilgrimages here to see the setting of Robert Manson Myers' epic, The
Children of Pride. The book, a collection of authentic Civil War letters
of a Liberty County plantation family, vividly recreate a period of
American history unparalleled for its drama and poignancy. Liberty
County was also home to two signers of the Declaration of Independence:
Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett. A third signer, George Walton, also
lived here part of his life.
Today tourists from around the world visit The Historic Liberty Trail, a
driving tour linking historic sites and museums that integrate history,
Southern culture, and ecology. The Trail is marked by signs, and
brochures with maps are available by calling The Liberty County
Development Authority at 1-888-384-9814. The trail begins at Exit 76 of I-95, where
an information kiosk gives a glimpse of The Historic Liberty Trail.
Visitors traveling the Trail explore Liberty County, home of Dr. Lyman
Hall and Button Gwinnett, signers of the Declaration of
Independence.
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Along the Trail, often meandering through untouched marshland and in the
shade of majestic oaks, unfolds the story of our nation: colonial days
in a thriving seaport town, the American Revolution, inspired and fought
on Liberty County soil, the Civil War and Sherman's March to the Sea,
post-war and turn-of-the century African-American history at Seabrook Village, and the Gulf
War. Stops include the Midway Historic District, Fort Stewart Museum, Fort Morris State Park, and Cay Creek Wetlands Interpretive Center.
Fort Morris State Park ~
Originally a Guale Indian village, Fort Morris has a
fascinating history. The site became the seaport town of Sunbury (one of
several "dead towns" in Georgia) before becoming Fort Morris in 1776.
The fort helped protect Georgia's coast during both the Revolutionary
War and the War of 1812. The site is approximately 70 acres in size and
is composed primarily of salt marsh and forested upland.
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The Midway Church, built in 1756, was burned during the American
Revolution and rebuilt in 1792.
Giant live oaks draped with Spanish moss shade
about 1200 graves in the Cemetery, among them two generals of the
American Revolution and Governor Nathan Brownson. During the
Civil War,
Sherman's cavalry plundered
county plantations and
corralled animals in the walled, two-acre cemetery.
The Museum, built in the raised
cottage-style architecture, typical of 18th century plantation
houses, includes exhibits, documents, and furnishings used in coastal
Georgia homes from colonial days until the Civil War reanimate
the love of Liberty.
Seabrook Village ~
An award-winning living history museum, Seabrook
features turn-of-the-century buildings, including a one-room school.
Visitors can try grinding corn into meal and grits and washing clothes
on a scrub board. For planned group tours, costumed interpreters engage
visitors in all aspects of old-time village life. Exhibits include the
grave art of Cyrus Bowens and the Willis Hakjim Jones Material Culture
Collection of handmade items including everything from a peanut roaster
to twig furniture.
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Melon Bluff Nature and Heritage Preserve,
encompassing 3,000 privately-owned acres, is located
on lands that were once part of an old rice plantation. The area offers
opportunities to view birds in saltmarsh, woodland and creek swamp
habitats.
Visitors are invited to share Melon Bluff's
fascinating story and unspoiled beauty while they hike, bike, bird watch, canoe and kayak. The Nature Center
features exhibits, educational programs, and a gift shop-book store with snacks and equipment rental. If you're not
up for hiking, mule-pulled wagons take visitors through woodlands, swamps, historic abandoned rice fields, and
along marshes; while guides tell the intriguing history of Melon Bluff. Here, Spanish settlers landed 39 years
before St. Augustine, bringing the first African slaves and celebrating the first Christmas in the Americas.
Fort Stewart,
the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River and home of the 3d Infantry
Division (Mech.), stretches 39 miles by 19 miles and covers 279,270 acres, including parts of Liberty County. It
is greatly valued by the Army for its size, terrain, climate, and proximity to the East Coast and to the two deep water
ports of Savannah and Charleston. Tanks, field artillery, helicopter gunnery, and small arms ranges can operate
simultaneously on its vast acreage throughout the year with little time lost to bad weather. Nearly 16,000 soldiers
and approximately 3,400 civilians are stationed an employed at Fort Stewart.
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Hinesville and Liberty County offers travelers and visitors a full-range of overnight accommodations, from cottages near the
coast, converted to comfortable bed-and-breakfast inns, to new, nationally-known hotels.
Most hotels are located in the heart of Hinesville's business district, just minutes from Fort Stewart, local hospitals, and
recreation centers.
Hinesville's revitalized downtown with specialty shops, shopping centers with discount and
department stores, and manufacturing companies, that periodically offer their goods (everything from holiday gift wrap to
sportswear at outlet prices) make shopping here fun. Less than 45 minutes away, lie metropolitan malls and outlet centers
in Savannah and Darien. Because intracoastal waterways lap at Liberty's coast, area restaurants serve the freshest seafood
around. Shrimp, oysters, fish, and crab are prepared in many favorite regional recipes. Also, tasty barbeque, Southern cuisine,
Mexican, Chinese, Korean, and other ethnic restaurants, and many fast-food establishments will delight your tastebuds.
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Savannah-Tybee Island ||
Richmond Hill ||
Midway-Liberty County ||
Darien-Sapelo Island ||
Brunswick & The Golden Isles
St. Marys ||
Cumberland Island ||
Kingsland ||
Waycross ||
Okefenokee Swamp
|| Coastal Neighbors
|| Group Tours
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