Georgia, the 13th State of the Union, was originally founded as a penal colony - not for hard-core criminals, but to provide an alternative to the harsh debtor's prisons in England. The first English settlement in the area was one mile east of present-day Darien, established to deter French expansion and to assert British claims against the Spanish. If either nation attacked the fort, it would be an act of war against England. At this time Georgia was still part of the Carolina territory, which extended to just south of St. Augustine, Florida. The Carolinians wanted a garrison to help in the protection of their colony, but King George sent them a regiment of invalid soldiers. Colonel John Barnwell led the expedition and built the outpost he called "King George's Fort."

Militarily speaking, the site was well chosen, but it was unhealthy, even by 18th century standards. There was no way to keep even salted meat from rotting, and the need for fresh fruits and vegetables was unknown. The men were often sick, and the mortality rate was high. Fortunately, the fort saw little action, and it was abandoned in 1727. Then Oglethorpe and his Highlanders arrived in 1734 to establish another military outpost on the same site, after having founded the new colony of Georgia at Savannah in 1733. The Scots were among the world's finest fighting men and especially selected by Oglethorpe. They restored Fort King George, built another on St. Simons Island, and erected huts for the soldiers and families. They named their town Darien, and included a small kirk (church).

The town of Darien prospered as a great port, rivaling both Savannah and Charleston, and that continued until the national Panic of 1837. Combined with the development of railroads in Georgia, all of which bypassed Darien, Darien's fate was sealed. The State Legislature closed the bank, and Darien became impoverished, little more than a ghost town. Despite this, the town remained extant, largely because of its sawmills, until the Civil War brought a renegade Union field officer, whose "total war" tactics resulted in the wanton devastation of the undefended little town. When the Yankee ships arrived, the troops ransacked the town's houses and shops, destroyed the sawmills, seized the lumber and baled cotton, and stole many family possessions. Then Montgomery burned the entire town, leaving only the thick walls of the two-story warehouse building on the upper bluff, portions of a church and two or three smaller buildings, including a frame residence still standing today.

Like Atlanta, Darien rebuilt, beginning with its sawmills. Eventually limited rail service arrived, which grew into full service. Today the town is connected by roadways over the marshlands, giving everyone access to and from this historic town.