- "Dead Town" of Hardwicke
State Historical Marker
- Located on Ga. 144 at the intersection of U.S. 17
in Richmond Hill, Ga.
(Text)
- "DEAD TOWN"
OF HARDWICKE
- 8 mi.
On May 10, 1754, GEORGE TOWN was
established at the "Elbow" of Great Ogeechee River,
eight miles east. In February, 1755, Gov. Reynolds, dissatisfied
with Savannah as a capital and as a port, chose this new site
because it ["}has a charming situation, the winding of the
river making it a peninsula; and it is the only fit place for
the capital." He preferred the deeper channel, the less
lofty bluff, the more central location in the province, and the
greater distance from the rival port of Charleston. He renamed
it HARDWICKE in honor of his kinsman, the Earl of Hardwicke,
Lord High Chancellor of England. Lots sold quickly, the plan's
backers were granted 21,000 acres of land, and fortifications
were planned; but the Home Government granted no funds and the
project died, dooming Hardwicke (later HARDWICK) to obscurity.
In 1758, Hardwicke was included
in the newly created Parish of St. Philip. In 1793, Bryan County
was created, with Hardwicke as County Site. In 1797, the County
Site was removed to "Cross Roads" (Richmond Hill).
By 1824, Alexander Netherclift was the sole resident. In 1866,
an attempt was made to revive HARDWICK, but it failed; and so
the town which might have become one of its capitals became,
instead, one of the "dead towns" of Georgia.
015-8 GEORGIA HISTORICAL
COMMISSION 1957
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