Gwinnett Leases Fort Daniel Historic Site to Foundation

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners recently approved a long-term lease of a 4.3-acre site in northeastern Gwinnett that contains remnants of a 200-year-old frontier fort.

The Fort Daniel Foundation will maintain and operate the historic site as a permanent archaeological research preserve and active learning facility for researchers, educators and students. Commissioners also agreed to provide $5,000 annually to help with maintenance.

Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash said: “I am thankful for this opportunity to save an important piece of our community’s heritage and appreciate the volunteers who will help preserve our history and reduce Gwinnett County’s costs to maintain the site.”

Local militia built Fort Daniel a few years before the incorporation of Gwinnett County in 1818. Maj. Gen. Allen Daniel was commander of the 4th Division of the Georgia Militia at the time. The fort replaced or refurbished a 1790s frontier fort on the same site.

Local archaeologists and historians located the remains of the fort in 2009, and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed it on its Places in Peril registry that same year.

Gwinnett County purchased the Fort Daniel Historic Site last December using SPLOST sales tax funds for historic preservation.