- Magnolia Springs State Park
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Magnolia Springs State Park Type Public Location Jenkins County, Georgia Area 1,071 acres (4.33 km2) Operated by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Website Magnolia Springs Location in Georgia
Coordinates: 32°53′12″N 81°57′20″W / 32.88667°N 81.95556°W Elevation[1] 54 m (177 ft) Magnolia Springs State Park is a 1,071 acre (4.33 km²) Georgia state park located between Perkins and Millen. The park itself is well known for its crystal clear springs that are estimated to flow 9 million US gallons (34,000 m3) per day. The park has a unique history, as it was used during the American Civil War as a prison, during which time the area was called Camp Lawton. The park still houses remnants of the 10,000-prisoner camp and two huge timbers of the prison recovered from a nearby stream. The park also offers unique wildlife near the springs, including alligators and a freshwater aquarium.
Contents
Facilities
- 26 tent/trailer/RV sites
- 5 cottages
- 3 walk-in campsites
- 3 playgrounds
- swimming pool
- 8 picnic shelters
- group camp
- 3 group shelters
- pioneer camping
- group lodge
Annual events
- Arts & crafts festival (April)
- Federal Encampment and Spring Run (also April)
- Children's Fishing Rodeo (June)
- 8 km Crosscountry Run (November)
- Clogging and Square Dancing Weekend (also November)
Camp Lawton
Camp Lawton was established during the Civil War in the fall of 1864 by the Confederate Army to house Union prisoners of war at Magnolia Springs in order to take advantage of the abundant water supply. Built by slave labor of pine timber harvested on site, the walls measured 12 to 15 feet (4.6 m) high. The stockade began receiving the first of at least 10,299 prisoners in early October. The post was abandoned by the end of November when threatened by Sherman’s drive on Savannah. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) conducted in December 2009 by the Lamar Institute revealed a possible location for the southwest corner of the prison stockade. Georgia Southern University has begun archaeological investigations to “ground truth” the results of the GPR survey.[2]
Georgia Southern University announced on August 18, 2010 that several archaeology students uncovered the stockade and around 200 Civil War artifacts at the site. The students used watercolors by an imprisoned private to locate the site.[3]
References
- ^ GTOPO30 via GeoNames. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Archaeological Investigations underway at Magnolia Springs State Park, April 7, 2010
- ^ Phil Gast (August 23, 2010). "Undisturbed artifacts will detail lives of Civil War prisoners". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/17/georgia.civil.war.camp/index.html?iref=allsearch. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
External links
Categories:- Georgia (U.S. state) state parks
- National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Protected areas of Jenkins County, Georgia
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