Editing McIntosh County, Georgia (section)

=== Colonial and Revolutionary period ===
{{Main|San Miguel de Gualdape|Spanish Florida|Province of Carolina|Province of South Carolina|Province of Georgia}}

The area which was formally named McIntosh County was originally settled by the [[British Empire|British]] in 1721 with the construction of [[Fort King George]], which was part of a set of forts built as a [[Buffer state|buffer]] between the British colonies to the north and [[Spanish Florida]] to the south, under the direction of General [[James Oglethorpe]]. New Inverness (later named [[Darien, Georgia|Darien]]) was founded in 1736 by [[Scottish Highlands|Scottish Highlanders]] who were enticed to move to Georgia by General Oglethorpe. In 1760, the British built [[Fort Barrington]] on the north side of the [[Altamaha River]] about {{convert|12|mi|km}} northwest of present-day Darien. It was used for decades as a transportation and communication center up and down coastal Georgia. The County split off from [[Liberty County, Georgia|Liberty County]] in 1793.

The new county was named ''McIntosh'' for its most famous family, which included [[Lachlan McIntosh]], who was a general in the [[Continental Army]]. The McIntosh clan in Darien dates back to 1736.<ref>Highroad Guide to the Georgia Coast and Okefenokee By Richard J. Lenz page 179</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofdarienga.com/mcIntoshCountyHistory.php|title=History of McIntosh County, Georgia|website=www.cityofdarienga.com|access-date=May 30, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518193531/http://www.cityofdarienga.com/mcIntoshCountyHistory.php|archive-date=May 18, 2016}}</ref><ref name="nrhpdoc">{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=72001447}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fort Barrington |publisher=[[National Park Service]]|author=William R. Mitchell Jr. |date=August 2, 1972 |access-date=January 28, 2017 }} with {{NRHP url|id=72001447|photos=y|title=six photos from 1972}}</ref>