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A small and quaint river town whose size belies its history, St. Marys sits comfortably upon Buttermilk Bluff. This strategic spot has, for thousands of years, attracted the attention of those who have passed this way. Timucuan Indians thrived here, Spanish missionaries settled nearby and the British built a fort on the St. Marys River. The town itself was laid out in 1788, becoming the southernmost seaport in the United States.
Abandoned during the Civil War, the prosperity of St. Marys' early years was not easily regained. Railroads were stiff competition for her port. A large pulp mill, built in the 1940s, eventually boosted the local economy but it was the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, established in the 1970s, which was the catalyst for the prosperity abounding today.
And with the ferry connection to Cumberland Island's National Seashore located here, throngs of visitors are enchanted with the town's National Historic District and its beautifully restored 19th and early 20th century homes.