Friends of Fort Frederica News 2025

DONATIONS HELP TO FURTHER MANY PROGRAMS AT FORT FREDERICA

If you are already a member of the Friends of Fort Frederica, this is a reminder to make your donation for 2025. You can make a donation through the website or by contacting us at fortfredericafriends@gmail.com and asking to be sent a membership envelope. Thanks so much!

Fort Frederica Featured on National Websites

Fort Frederica was featured on two national websites! Read the full article in the Brunswick News below!

Karl Meschke Archaeology Lab Building

In 2019, Paul Meschke, Ross Meschke, and Janice Whorton gave a generous gift to the Friends of Fort Frederica in honor of their father Karl Meschke. Karl was a scientist by trade and an archaeologist at heart who loved giving back to his community and enriching the lives of others through history and cultural explorations. The National Park Service, the Meschke family, and the Friends of Fort Frederica have collaborated to bring Karl Meschke's two passions, science and archaeology, to Fort Frederica National Monument in the form of an archaeology laboratory. The lab is the focal point of archaeology research and education for years to come.

did you know?

Fort Frederica archaeology programs, with support from the Friends of Fort Frederica, has uncovered hundreds of anomalies that require further investigation. The public was invited to be involved with all aspects of the process from screening to digging to analysis. Over 200 individuals have volunteered to assist with the excavations, both young and old. They revealed unrecorded clay and tabby floors, plantation era warehouses, and even storage pits dating back to 600 AD from the indigenous inhabitants of Saint Simons. If you are interested in volunteering with archaeology, call Fort Frederica and speak with Chief of Cultural Resources Michael Seibert.

Friends of Fort Frederica Formed

Friends in the beginning: November 2017, Coastal Illustrated published an account of the occasion. Read it here!

DIGGING INTO DISCOVERY WITH JOLEE JOHNSON

For many young people, summer means lazy days and trips to the beach. But for Jolee Johnson, a bright 7th-grade student who recently moved to Saint Simons from Portland Oregon, summer meant something entirely different: uncovering the past, one carefully brushed layer of soil at a time. Jolee is a testament to the captivating power of the archaeology camp programs at Fort Frederica National Monument, a program so engaging that she not only completed the Beginner’s Archaeology Program but went on to tackle the Advanced Archaeology Camp and is already eagerly planning her return. Click to Read More of Jolee’s Interview..