On June 9, 1732, The Crown formed the Colony of Georgia. This new colony was intended as an act of Philanthropy to those who had been released from Debtors Prison in England. Petitioners, who were deemed worthy were given grants of many acres, to be paid for later after they obtained a good start. Under the direction of General Oglethorpe, Savannah was settled in 1733 and the colonist began to extend further west.
In 1793, a new county was created from parts of Liberty and Effingham Counties and was named “Bryan County” in honor of Jonathan Bryan, who had given aid to General Oglethorpe. Fort Argyle, established by General Oglethorpe on the Ogeechee River, was to protect Savannah from Florida’s Spaniards.
Small unincorporated communities, such as Ellabell and Black Creek began to spring up along the Ogeechee river that flowed to Savannah and then to the sea. Ellabell was conveniently located on the railroad. Pembroke, 8 miles west of Ellabell, became the county seat.
Before the war, the Ogeechee River basin became one of the most productive rice-growing areas on the south Atlantic coast during 1830s and 1840s. By 1855, 3 million pounds of rice annually were being shipped from Bryan County plantations by way of of the Savannah-Ogeechee Canal, which provided a direct link to Savannah.
In the last days of the Civil war, Sherman’s army marched through Bryan County, across the Ogeechee river bridge on their way to Savannah, destroying everything in their path
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Bryan County suffered from the effects of the war. Everything turned to swamp or woods. The economic loss devastated the people and the economy.
Relief came in the 1910, when Henry Ford bought a home in Bryan County, call “Richmond Hill Plantation. He provided health care and educational opportunities for many county residents. He also designed and build a canal system that allowed much of the water to drain from the land and make the property feasible for farming.
