thumb|Camden County Courthouse
Camden County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2020 census, its population was 54,768. Its county seat is Woodbine, and the largest city is Kingsland. It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created February 5, 1777. It is the 11th-largest county in the state of Georgia by area, and the 41st-largest by population.
Camden County comprises the Kingsland, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area (USA), formerly known as the St. Marys, Georgia USA, which is included in the Jacksonville—Kingsland—Palatka, Florida–Georgia Combined Statistical Area.
History
Colonial period
The first recorded European to visit what is today Camden County was Captain Jean Ribault of France in 1562. Ribault was sent out by French Huguenots to find a suitable place for a settlement. Ribault named the rivers he saw the Seine and the Some, known today as the St. Marys and Satilla Rivers. Ribault described the area as, "Fairest, fruitfulest and pleasantest of all the world."
In 1565, Spain became alarmed by the French settlements and sent out a large force to take over and settle the area. During that time, the Spaniards attempted to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism. At least two missions operated on Cumberland Island, ministering to the Timucuan people, who had resided on the island for at least 4,000 years.
Competing British and Spanish claims to the territory between their respective colonies of South Carolina and Florida was a source of international tension, and the colony of Georgia was founded in 1733 in part to protect the British interests. The Spanish theoretically lost their claim to the territory in 1742 after the Battle of Bloody Marsh (on St. Simons Island). However, settlement south of the Altamaha River (what is now Glynn and Camden Counties) was discouraged by both the British and Spanish governments. One group of settlers led by Edmund Gray sparked Spanish military action after settling on the Satilla River in the 1750s near present-day Burnt Fort, and were subsequently disbanded by the Royal Governor John Reynolds.
General Oglethorpe was at Cumberland Island when Tomochichi gave the barrier island its name. Later, he erected a hunting lodge on Cumberland named Dungeness, which was the predecessor of the famous Greene and Carnegie Dungeness Mansions. He also founded Fort St. Andrews on the north end of Cumberland Island, as well as a strong battery, Fort Prince Williams, on the south end. Fort Prince Williams commanded the entrance to the St. Marys River but had become a ruin by the Revolutionary War.
In 1763, Spain, under a treaty of peace with Great Britain, ceded Florida to the British. After this, the boundaries of Georgia were extended from the Altamaha (now the southern boundary of McIntosh County) to the St. Marys River (the current southern boundary of Camden). In 1765, four parishes were laid out between the Altamaha and St. Marys Rivers. These were St. Davids, St. Patricks, St. James, and the parishes of St. Marys and St. Thomas.
Early American era
Largely due to security issues arising from proximity to powerful Indian groups and British Florida, Georgia was the last colony to join in the War for Independence in 1775. In the Georgia Constitution of 1777 St. Thomas and St. Marys Parishes were formed into Camden County, named for Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden in England, a supporter of American independence. Originally Camden County was larger and also included parts of present-day Ware, Brantley, and Charlton Counties, which were re-designated in the nineteenth century.
Also under the 1777 state constitution, Glynn County and Camden County had limited and restricted representation in the new patriotic Georgia government due to their extreme "state of alarm" throughout the war. Between 1776 and 1778 Camden County saw the construction of numerous forts, three failed American campaigns against the British at St. Augustine, and numerous depredations by raiders of various allegiance. One of the most notorious of these raiders was Daniel McGirth. A significant loyalist faction existed in Camden County, headed by the brothers of Royal Governor James Wright, Charles and German Wright. They built a fort on the St. Marys River in 1775 to protect their lands and chattel during the war after repeated attacks by patriot banditti. Wright's Fort became a rendezvous for a group of loyalists called the "Florida Rangers". Two skirmishes were fought by Loyalist and Continental forces over Wright's Fort, and both times American troops failed to rout the Loyalists from the area. Finally, retreating British soldiers burned it down in 1778. The Americans rebuilt it when they invaded East Florida, and then burned it down to prevent it falling into enemy hands. The archaeological site was rediscovered in 1975.
The primary economic enterprise of the county was rice planting, particularly along the Satilla River. Sea Island cotton was grown on Cumberland Island, and short-staple cotton was grown on the mainland along with sugar cane. Various forest products including turpentine and timber were produced, mainly for consumption in the naval industry and the West Indies.
On January 15, 1815, British troops led by Sir George Cockburn landed on Cumberland Island. Their goal was to attack the fort at Point Peter. They quickly overwhelmed the small American forced and took Ft. Point Peter easily. After the skirmish, British soldiers occupied the county through February. They raided the town of St. Marys, as well as many plantations and smaller settlements. Although New Orleans was the last major battle of the war, the skirmish at Point Peter happened even later, almost a month after the Treaty of Ghent had been signed. The British occupation of Camden County led to the liberation of an estimated 1,485 slaves from Georgia and Florida.
Camden County was on an international border until the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 between the United States and Spain, making the Florida provinces American territory.
Civil War and Reconstruction
At the beginning of the Civil War, the population was 5,482 of which 1,721 were white. During the war, many of the county's civilians moved farther inland, particularly to Centerville and Trader's Hill on the St. Marys River in Charlton County. The inhabitant's fears were realized when the town of St. Marys was attacked by United States Navy. At least one federal party to "carry off" slaves was met by armed resistance on White Oak Creek off the Satilla River.
Camden County organized four volunteer companies: the Camden Chasseurs, St. Marys Volunteers Guard, Camden Rifles, and Camden County Guards.
Camden County land fell under Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15. which dictated the distribution of parcels of land to freedmen. However, by 1868, Camden County's freedmen found themselves dispossessed of land they had lived and worked on since emancipation or earlier. Confiscated lands were returned to former landowners.
1890s - 2000
Earlier plans for railways in the area dated back to the 1830s, but construction was never begun. In 1893, Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad built a Savannah-Jacksonville line through Camden County. In 1923 the county seat of Camden County was moved from St. Marys to Woodbine, a reflection of the shift from the water transportation to railways. In 1927, U.S. Route 17 was constructed through Woodbine and Kingsland.
From 1917 to 1937, a pogy plant producing oil for Procter & Gamble and fertilizer for the Southern Fertilizer and Chemical Company was one of the major economic activities of the area. The layoffs from the pogy plant found relief when the Gilman Paper Company came to the county in 1939. The company was sold to Durango Paper Co. in 1999, and went out of business in 2002, resulting in 900 workers losing their jobs.
In 1965, Thiokol Chemical launched a -diameter, -thrust rocket from their chemical plant in the eastern part of the county.
On February 3, 1971, a fire and explosion occurred at the plant, located 12 miles southeast of Woodbine. The industrial accident killed 29 workers and seriously injured 50 others. The U.S. Army began to acquire land south of Crooked River in 1954 to build a military ocean terminal to ship ammunition in case of a national emergency.
In November 1976, the area of Kings Bay was selected for a submarine base. Soon afterward, the first Navy personnel arrived in the Kings Bay area and started preparations for the orderly transfer of property from the Army to the Navy. Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay not only occupies the former Army terminal land, but several thousand additional acres. Camden County's population grew enormously after the military took an interest in the area, and during the 1980s, was the fourth fastest growing county in the United States.
Spaceport Camden
In 2012, the Camden County Joint Development Authority began considering developing a spaceport for both horizontal and vertical spacecraft operations. In June 2015, the Camden board decided to formally advance the Spaceport Camden project by initiating an FAA Environmental Impact Assessment of the 4000+ acre facility.
In a 2022 referendum voters overturned the Camden County Board of Commissioners' vote on the option for the proposed Spaceport Camden property. In February 2023, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld this referendum, effectively ending the project.
Gilman Paper Company Site
The Gilman Paper Mill opened during 1941 in Camden County. For more than two decades it employed half of the St. Mary's residents and fueled the economy. By the end of the 20th century, ownership had changed twice, finally to Mexico's Durango Products. The plant was closed in 2002. The Cumberland Inlet development project involved clearing and remediating the paper mill site, then building an ecotourism base camp on the waterfront with a hotel and marina, RV park, commercial spaces and home rentals.
In early 2026 CCJDA announced that they have recovered ownership of the property.
Local government
County commissioners
The Camden County Board of Commissioners is made up of five members elected by district to staggered four year terms. Each year, the Board selects a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members. The Board establishes county policies, adopts ordinances, sets the budget and tax rates, and appoints a County Administrator to oversee daily operations and carry out Commission policies. Regular meetings are typically held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers at the Government Services Complex in Woodbine.
!Commissioner
!Term Expires
|-
|1
|Robbie Cheek, Chair
|12/31/2028
|-
|2
|Martin Turner, Vice-Chair
|12/31/2026
|-
|3
|Cody Smith
|12/31/2028
|-
|4
|Jim Goodman
|12/31/2026
|-
|5
|Ben L. Casey
|12/31/2028
|}
Magistrate Judge
Judge Jennifer Lewis serves as the elected Chief Magistrate Judge. The Magistrate Court is Georgia’s small claims court and handles most civil cases up to $15,000, along with dispossessory, garnishment, and writ of possession matters. Magistrate judges also issue warrants, set bonds, and conduct preliminary hearings.
Probate Judge
Judge Robert C. Sweatt, Jr. serves as the elected Probate Judge. The Probate Court provides services related to birth and death certificates, estates, guardianships, marriage certificates and licenses, traffic citations, weapons carry licenses, and wills.
Sheriff
Sheriff James Kevin Chaney was elected in November 2024 and took office in January 2025. The Camden County Sheriff's Office consists of multiple divisions including Administration, Chaplain, Courthouse, Corrections, E-911, Finance, Information Technology, Investigations/Drug Task Force, K-9, Patrol, Public Information, School Resources Deputies, Special Operations & Training, and Warrants.
Superior Court Clerk
Joy Lynn Turner serves as the elected Clerk of Superior Court. The office serves as the official custodian of land and property records, as well as civil and criminal court files, while supporting court operations through filing, records management, and jury administration. The Clerk’s office also handles duties such as deed recording, tax collection related to property transfers, lien and trade name filings, and the collection and disbursement of court fines and fees.
Superior Court Judges
Camden County is a part of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, along with Appling, Glynn, Jeff Davis, and Wayne counties. Superior Court Judges serving Camden County, serve the entire Brunswick Judicial Circuit.
Tax Commissioner
Beth Soles serves as the elected Tax Commissioner. The Tax Commissioner’s Office manages several important services for residents. These responsibilities include issuing vehicle tags and titles, mobile home permits and titles, and handicap parking placards. The office also collects ad valorem taxes on vehicles, mobile homes, and property.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (21.6%) is water.
The bulk of Camden County's central and western area, from an east–west line running through Waverly in the north to a line running from Charlton County northeast to St. Andrew Sound, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla basin. The area north of Waverly, as well as from west of Kingsland east to the coast of Cumberland Island, is located in the Cumberland-St. Simons sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. Camden County's southern border area, in a line from Charlton County to St. Marys, is located in the St. Marys River sub-basin of the same St. Marys-Satilla basin.
The 1898 Georgia hurricane which made landfall on Cumberland Island in Camden County was the strongest hurricane to hit the state of Georgia within recorded history.
Adjacent counties
- Glynn County (north)
- Nassau County, Florida (south)
- Charlton County (west)
- Brantley County (northwest)
National protected area
- Cumberland Island National Seashore
Communities
Cities
- Kingsland
- St. Marys
- Woodbine
Census-designated places
- Kings Bay Base
- Waverly
Unincorporated communities
- Dover Bluff
- Hopewell
- Spring Bluff
- White Oak
- Bullhead Bluff
Transportation
Airports
Camden County's primary airport was previously St. Marys Airport, a facility serving general aviation just north of the eponymous city, but it was closed in the 2010s due to its close proximity to the US Navy’s Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. Instead, residents seeking airline services are required to travel north to Brunswick Golden Isles Airport, or south to the much larger Jacksonville International Airport in Florida; two general aviation airports in Florida, Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport and Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport further south, are located between Camden County and Jacksonville.
Major highways
- (Interstate 95) <!-- is the main interstate highway through Camden County, It contains seven interchanges, the first of which includes the northbound I-95 Georgia Welcome Center. -->
- <!-- was the primary south-north route through the county until it was surpassed by Interstate 95 in the 1970's. -->
- (unsigned designation for I-95)
Railroads
Two railroad lines operate within Camden County. The First Coast Railroad a line using a long segment of the CSX Kingsland Subdivision, which runs parallel to the west side of US 17 from the Jacksonville Terminal Subdivision in the Panama Park section of Jacksonville through the bridge over the Saint Mary's River between Gross, Florida and Kingsland. The Kingsland Subdivision was part of the Main Line of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad but was abandoned by CSX between Seals and Riceboro.
The portion of the First Coast Railroad leased to the Kingsland Subdivision begins in Yulee, Florida at the junction with the Fernandina Subdivision and ends between Kingsland and Seals. It also has a junction with the St. Marys Railroad which runs parallel to GA 40 from Kingsland almost to St. Marys, Georgia, and includes an important spur to the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.