Old Fort King George was built in 1721 by Col. John Barnwell of South Carolina under British royal orders. This tiny cypress blockhouse, 26 feet square, with 3 floors and a lookout in the gable, allowed the guard to watch over the Inland Waterway and St. Simon`s Island; it was flanked by officers quarters and barracks, and the entire area was surrounded on all but the river side by a moat and palisades. Garrisoned by His Majesty`s Independent Company with replacements of colony scouts, the fort was occupied for six years. During that time more than 140 officers and soldiers died there and were buried on the adjacent bluff. As the first of the British 18th century scheme of posts built to counteract French expansion in America, Fort King George was also a trespass upon Spanish territory, and Spain continually demanded its destruction during its occupation. The troops were withdrawn to Port Royal in 1727, but until Oglethorpe arrived in Savannah in 1733 South Carolina kept two lookouts at old Fort King George.