Historic ship now on display in downtown Darien

DARIEN, Ga. (WTOC) - The City of Darien has a new feature downtown.

It’s a nearly 100-year-old ship! It was saved from being sold for parts and is expected to be the centerpiece of a new park.

As you drive over the Darien Bridge and in to downtown, you’re now greeted by this ship named the Kit Jones.

“When you come over that bridge, she’s the first thing that you see.”

The wooden ship is a piece of McIntosh County history. Originally built on Sapelo Island in the 1930s, it’s made of materials from the island and served multiple purposes throughout its long life.

“Back then, she was a ferryboat, a tugboat, a freight boat, a mailboat, she would transport people that lived on Sapelo Island to and from the mainland. She would transport supplies. She then went to work as a war boat, a fireboat in the war,” said Laurie Poole, with Friends of the Kit Jones.

After serving in World War II, the Kit Jones became a research vessel, spending almost three decades with the University of Georgia, before moving to the University of Mississippi. “2013, she was dry-docked in Biloxi, Mississippi for no longer being able to be used. The Coast Guard has very high requirements to keep wood vessels, any vessels, in use. It was just too expensive to use her anymore.”

So, McIntosh County locals stepped in and purchased the Kit Jones in 2017 – moving it within the county to be worked on in 2019. As of last week, it now sits on a piece of land right off of Highway 99, donated by McIntosh County.

Moving the Kit Jones into place wasn’t an easy task. It weighs more than 60,000 pounds and stands around two stories high.

It took around seven hours and two cranes to settle the ship into her new home. Poole says with the help of marine transport professionals and volunteers, the move went smoothly.

“They knew exactly how to handle her, exactly what needed to be done and it went off without a hitch. When the large straps went under her belly, right on the ribs, and lifted her up, and set her back down, she didn’t even exhale. She’s super strong and very sturdy and very well-built.”

Next, plans are underway to build a park around the city’s new centerpiece. Restoring and displaying the history of the maritime town for generations to come.

Poole says they hope to host dedication ceremonies for new park benches sometime in the fall.

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