Macon leaders seek preservation of Fort Hawkins blockhouse

Georgia’s MACON (41NBC/WMGT) Local authorities are looking into various ways to protect Fort Hawkins, especially the southeast blockhouse.

According to historians, Macon’s story would not be complete without mentioning Fort Hawkins. During the War of 1812, the fort housed rations and supplies for the U.S. Army. Among many other things, it was a factory that played a key role in the deerskin trade between European Americans and Muscogee Creek Indians.

According to Ashley Quinn, chair of the board of directors for the Fort Hawkins Foundation, the fort also had a printing press, a post office, and a hospital at one point. They also printed money there.

Macon was the name given to the region that grew up around Fort Hawkins. Together with the federal government, local authorities worked to preserve the site’s heritage at the beginning of the 20th century. On the very spot where the original blockhouse stood, a 1938 copy of the fort’s southeast blockhouse was built.

In order to replicate the original blockhouse’s timber, builders used concrete for the reproduction. However, rust has developed as a result of moisture seeping within the fort and pieces of that concrete falling from its upper levels over time.

Quinn stated that it needs some repairs because it is almost 100 years old. To ensure that it endures for another century and beyond, we would like to have an evaluation of it completed.

Concerns regarding the site’s long-term viability are raised by the existing state, according to Nathan Lott, Executive Director of the Historic Macon Foundation.

I’m hoping we’ll acquire a scope for the work because we’ve worked on other structures from that era. “I said,” Lott said.

According to Lott, the Fort Hawkins Foundation has a connection to an engineer through the Historic Macon Foundation who will perform a preliminary evaluation of the fort next month.

According to Lott, we may use that information to estimate the cost and support their fundraising efforts.

Given that many people consider the location to be Macon’s birthplace, Lott is optimistic that it will be preserved.

Some of those are tales of happiness. hard work and entrepreneurship, and some of that is a story of the local indigenous people, Lott added. In any case, it’s a significant location that signifies the founding of the City of Macon.