The fort was built in 1751 by British troops under the command of Lieutenant Robert Baillie; its name was chosen in honor of Josiah Barrington, a friend of the lieutenant and relative of James Oglethorpe.
It was first stationed by a detachment of the First Troop of British Rangers as one of their defenses against Spanish Florida and Indian raids.

It was later used during the American Revolutionary War as the military headquarters for the American southern theater of operations; it was during this period that it was called Fort Howe.
However, it was captured and burned by British forces on March 13, 1778, when Colonel Thomas Brown led his Loyalist company of the King's Rangers in an attack on the fort and took 23 Patriots prisoner.
The fort's site was occupied by Confederate forces during the American Civil War.

For over two centuries the site of Fort Barrington was a vital transportation and communication center of major military and political significance.
The ferry was used until the early twentieth century, due to the fact that any overland coastal traffic which sought to avoid crossing the four major rivers and swamps of the Altamaha River delta would have to pass just below the site of the fort.

The fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 1972.
Today, one can enter the area where the fort once stood down Fort Barrington Road and see a clubhouse, some small structures, moss-draped trees, a sandy beach, and a wooden dock.
A historical marker for the site is located on Georgia State Route 57 at the Long County-McIntosh County line.
Some evidence of the old fort survives: sand breastworks and two bastions can be made out on the left of the sandy road leading to the hunting and fishing club that now occupies the area.
The fort was built in 1751 by British troops under the command of Lieutenant Robert Baillie; its name was chosen in honor of Josiah Barrington, a friend of the lieutenant and relative of James Oglethorpe. It was first stationed by a detachment of the First Troop of British Rangers as one of their defenses against Spanish Florida and Indian raids.
It was later used during the American Revolutionary War as the military headquarters for the American southern theater of operations; it was during this period that it was called Fort Howe. However, it was captured and burned by British forces on March 13, 1778, when Colonel Thomas Brown led his Loyalist company of the King's Rangers in an attack on the fort and took 23 Patriots prisoner. The fort's site was occupied by Confederate forces during the American Civil War.
For over two centuries the site of Fort Barrington was a vital transportation and communication center of major military and political significance. The ferry was used until the early twentieth century, due to the fact that any overland coastal traffic which sought to avoid crossing the four major rivers and swamps of the Altamaha River delta would have to pass just below the site of the fort.
The fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 1972. Today, one can enter the area where the fort once stood down Fort Barrington Road and see a clubhouse, some small structures, moss-draped trees, a sandy beach, and a wooden dock. A historical marker for the site is located on Georgia State Route 57 at the Long County-McIntosh County line. Some evidence of the old fort survives: sand breastworks and two bastions can be made out on the left of the sandy road leading to the hunting and fishing club that now occupies the area.
Fort Barrington