Charlton County, is in the southern most part of Georgia, with it’s tail dipping in to Florida. This dip is called the “Bend.” Moniac is a unincorporated community that is on the west side of the “Bend” only a few miles from the Florida border.
Moniac is situated along the St. Marys river and in 1820, it was the ‘last outpost’ before crossing into Florida territory. To protect the settlement from Indian Raids, a fort was built across the St. Marys in 1838.
Moniac is the name of an Indian chief whose entrance trail to the Okefenokee Swamp passed near by. As late as 1904, there were only 400 citizens in the Moniac area.
Charlton County is the most timbered county in Georgia… covering 98% of it’s area in woodlands. There is a 90 mile band of rich titanium reserves that runs through Charlton County. It’s the richest reserve in the United States.
Just north of Moniac is the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness area. The Swamp is roughly 20 by 40 miles in size and takes up 1/3 of the county’s land. The Seminole Indians called the area “Okefenokee”…. “Land of Quaking Earth.” This wilderness served as a sanctuary for the Seminole Indians and salves that were escaping their masters.
At one time, the bend was proclaimed “Marriage Capital of the World.” Floridians who could not out last the waiting period before tying the knot, would cross the state line to be married in Georgia.