| Georgia (Glynn County), Broadfield — 063-22 — Boys Estate — (Elizafield Plantation) — ←1/2 mi. |
| | Boys Estate, Georgia`s town just for boys, is located one-half mile west of here, on a part of historic Elizafield Plantation. Elizafield, first the home of Dr. Robert Grant, later of his son, Hugh Fraser Grant, was one of the rich River Plantations of the early 19th century. It was cultivated intensively in rice and sugar cane, and the ruins of a large sugar mill built of tabby are still in evidence.
In 1935, Cator Woolford gave this tract to Georgia for a State Park, and in 1945 it was . . . — Map (db m12081) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Broadfield — 063-23 — Hopeton-on-the-Altamaha — Home of James Hamilton Couper |
| | Hopeton Plantation, of which Altama is a part, lies about 1.4 miles West of here. A model rice and sugar Plantation of the early 19th century, described in books by several travelers from Europe, Hopeton is best remembered as the home of James Hamilton Couper. "A pioneer in the agricultural and industrial development of Georgia and the South,"James Hamilton Couper was an archaeologist, a geologist, a conchologist, architect and historian -- a man whose abilities and accomplishments would be recognized in any time. — Map (db m12128) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — 1800 Emanuel United Methodist Church — ← |
| | Begun in year 1800 as New Hope Methodist Church on Laurel Grove Plantation 2 miles S. present site. 1833 original building moved to this site and name
changed to Emanuel. Hand hewn pillars and wooden pegs are visible. 1799 George Clark, sent by Bishop Asbury to St. Mary´s, started Methodist Societies in Glynn Co. 1829 Quarterly Conf. for St. Mary´s and St. Illa Ct. held here. Wm. Gassoway- pastor; James Helveston- class leader. 1841 St. Illa Ct. (Satilla) became the Brunswick Ct. with Emanuel . . . — Map (db m14443) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — Brunswick Stew |
| | The first Brunswick
Stew was made here in
the Brunswick - Golden
Isles area in early
colonial days. It remains
an American Favorite. — Map (db m16615) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — Brunswick's "Liberty Ships" |
| | During World War II, the J.A. Jones Construction Company operated a plant approx. 1 mile south of this point on Brunswick`s waterfront. Between 1942 and 1944, a skilled labor force of over 16,000 men and women worked in service to the Allied war effort, producing 99 steel vessels for the U.S. Merchant Marines. These vessels served as both cargo and troop carriers, and their reputation for keeping vital supply lines open earned them the name of "Liberty Ships."
Each month, dedicated shipyard . . . — Map (db m12046) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — 63-5 — Colored Memorial School and Risley High School |
| | Brunswick's first public school for African Americans opened in 1870 as the Freedmen's School, later changed to Risley School to honor Captain Douglas Gilbert Risley, who raised funds for the school's construction. In 1923 the adjacent building, Colored Memorial High School, was built and named to honor African-American veterans in World War I. In 1936 Risley High School was built on the site of the 1870 Freedmen's School and remained in service until 1955 when a new Risley High School was . . . — Map (db m24680) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — 063-21 — Glynn County |
| | Glynn County, one of the eight original Counties of Georgia, was organized under the 1777 Constitution of the State of Georgia. It was named in honor of John Glynn, a member of the British House of Commons who defended the cause of the American Colonies in the difficulties which led to the Revolutionary War.
Glynn County contains the lands formerly included in the Colonial Parishes of St. David, St. Patrick, and St. James, which had been organized in 1785.
Among the early officials . . . — Map (db m12226) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — Glynn County War Memorial |
| | [Upper Tablet]:
Dedicated to
The men of Glynn County
who served their country and
to those named who gave their
lives for the preservation
of liberty and freedom
{Wreath emblem}
1917 The World War 1918
Arnold, Carle E. W., Jr. •
Barrow, Columbus E. •
Coney, William DeVoe •
Harrison, Lewis D. •
Houston, Malcom G. •
Johnson, Onica •
Leavy, Joseph DuBignon •
McRea, Jaems A. •
Ratcliffe, Eugene •
Ross, Henry Thomas •
Scarlett, Julian I. •
Stephens, . . . — Map (db m13130) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — 063-10 — Lanier's Oak — ← |
| | During his visits to Brunswick in the 1870`s Sidney Lanier, Georgia's greatest poet, frequently sat beneath this live oak tree and looked out over "a world of marsh that borders a world of sea." Here he received the inspiration which resulted in some of his finest poems.
Of these the best known is
"THE MARSHES OF GLYNN." — Map (db m12300) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — Lanier's Oak |
| | 'neath this gracious tree
stood Sidney Lanier and
under inspiration of the
oak and the marsh wrote
The Marshes Of Glynn
" I will heartily lay me a-hold on the greatness of God :
Oh, like to the greatness of God is the greatness within
The range of the marshes, the liberal marshes of Glynn "
Lanier Born at Macon, Ga. 1842 Died 1881 — Map (db m12554) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — 063-1 — Mark Carr |
| | Brunswick`s first settler came to Georgia in 1738 with Oglethorpe`s regiment. He was granted 500 acres at this place, on which he established his plantation.
Several tabby buildings erected by him stood nearby and a military outpost was maintained here.
In 1741 Indians from Florida raided his plantation, causing 750 pounds damage. The Indians killed or wounded some of the soldiers, while others were taken prisoners. — Map (db m12429) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — 063-2 — Sidney Lanier — Georgia's Greatest Poet — → |
| | Was a guest in this home on many occasions in the 1870`s. It was then the residence of his wife`s brother, Henry C. Day. On these visits Lanier became acquainted with "The Marshes of Glynn" which he immortalized. — Map (db m12390) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — The State of Georgia Salutes |
| | [Upper right corner is the Prisoner of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) emblem]
• The 77,000 Georgians who served in World War I;
the 1,937 KIA; 3,319 WIA; 67 Ex-POWs and 54 MIA
• The 324,373 Georgians who served in World War II;
the 6,781 KIA; 11,650 WIA; 652 Ex-POWs and 364 MIA
• The 75,000 Georgians who served in the Korean War;
the 740 KIA; 1,040 WIA; 97 Ex-POWs and 174 MIA
• The 228,000 Georgians who served in the Vietnam War; the 1,584 KIA; 8,534 WIA; 21 Ex-POWs; 38 . . . — Map (db m16899) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Brunswick — World War II Memorial |
| | Dedicated to the gallant sailors of the U.S.
Merchant Marine and the U.S. Navy Armed Guard,
who sailed, fought and died on those famous
Liberty Ships and other merchant ships of the
U.S. Maritime Service. This community is forever
grateful for their service and courage during
this world conflict. — Map (db m11775) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 63-29 — Captain Wylly Road |
| | There were two Captain Wyllys in the history of Jekyll. It is believed the road was named for Charles Spalding Wylly (1836- 1923), Captain in the Confederate Army, 1st Georgia Regulars, a descendant of Clement Martin, who was granted on April 5, 1768, Jekyll Island by the Crown. His grandfather, Captain William Campbell Wylly, remaining loyal to the British in the Revolution took part in the campaign when the British General Prevost crossed the St. Marys and marched on Savannah. After the . . . — Map (db m17228) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 063-38 — Confederate Battery |
| | In 1861, Confederate battery positions on Jekyll Island were equipped with one 42-pounder gun and four 32-pounder navy guns en barbette, each having about 60 rounds of shot and shell. Casemates, hot shot furnace and magazines are recorded, also. Of greater strength than batteries on St. Simons Island, the earthworks of palmetto logs, heavy timber, sandbags, and railroad irons were mounted for the protection of Brunswick. February 10, 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee requested permission from Gov. . . . — Map (db m17187) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Evolution of Elegance — The Clubhouse — Jekyll Island |
| | At the heart of any luxury resort or vacation retreat is sumptuous lodging. When the Jekyll Island Club incorporated in 1885, they knew that the success of the Club depended on a splendid but simple elegant Clubhouse. The Dubignon farmhouse would do for the Executive Committee's assessment of the island, but would never be adequate for the 53 members, and their families and guests.
The Executive Committee hired architect Charles Alexander to design the Clubhouse. Alexander designed the . . . — Map (db m17262) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — First Transcontinental Call |
| | First Transcontinental Telephone call was submitted by a telephone of this type January 25, 1915. Mr. Theodore N. Vail, President American Telephone and Telegraph Company talked from Jekyll Island, Georgia to Mr. Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone in New York; Thomas A. Watson, assistant to Mr. Bell in San Francisco; and to President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, D.C. — Map (db m18494) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Horton House |
| | William Horton, " Undersheriff of Herefordshire,"
England came to Georgia in 1736. He built this
building for his plantation residence and it was
his home until his death in 1749. Major Horton
succeeded Oglethorpe as Commander of the
Regiment of British Troops stationed here.
——
" He shined in war and in peace,
in public and in private stations "
——
Given by His Descendants. — Map (db m18431) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Horton House Historic Site — Building a Home to Last — Jekyll Island |
| | (Left text)
William Horton worked and lived on this island until his death in 1748. He made numerous improvements to the land, unfortunately many of these buildings have been lost to time, and hidden by the sandy soil.
Horton completed the tabby building that you see today about 1743. It was his second home on the island. The original wooden home was burned by Spanish troops in 1742 after their defeat on St. Simons Island at the Battle of Bloody Marsh.
The second home was . . . — Map (db m17263) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Horton House Historic Site — the French Emigre' — Jekyll Island |
| | By the end of the 18th century, William
Horton's small farm had become a large and
prosperous plantation. After Horton's death, the
island had several owners prior to the arrival
of Christophe Anne Poulain du Bignon in 1791.
Christophe du Bignon was born in Brittany,
France in 1739 to a poor noble family. His life
was forever changed when his family sent him
to sea at age 10 to work for the French India
Company. Life at sea is not easy for a young boy,
but Christophe grew up . . . — Map (db m17338) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Horton House Historic Site — Warehouse Ruins — Jekyll Island |
| | Jekyll Island was vey isolated from St.
Simons and Brunswick in the 18th & 19th
centuries. Due to this isolation the du Bignon
family was mostly self-sufficient, as were
previous owners of the island such as William
Horton. What is now visible in this area - tabby ruins along the marsh and a brick lined well - are only a glimpse of the extensive plantation that operated on this island for over a hundred years. Most
of the buildings have been lost to time and concealed by the ground, . . . — Map (db m17445) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Horton House Historical Site — European Influence — Jekyll Island |
| | William Horton decided to travel to Georgia with General James Oglethorpe in 1735. Unlike many passengers on the ship, Symond, he paid for his passage to America from England. Horton was granted 500 acres in return for paying for his passage. However, as a condition of the land grant he was expected to bring 10 indentured servants, one for every 50 acres, and have 20 percent of this granted land in cultivation within 10 years of his settlement in the new colony. Horton was labeled . . . — Map (db m17342) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Horton House Historical Site — A Legacy Continues — The du Bignon Family |
| | The plantation that Christophe Du Bignon
established at the beginning of the nineteeth
century had its good and bad years.
When Christophe's youngest son, Henri,
married Ann Amelia Nicolau in 1808, they were
given 40 acres of planted cotton. This was a
good indication that Christophe approved of
the young Frenchwoman. The du Bignon
family, as new immigrants, closely held to
their native culture, and this was evident
in this marriage as well as the close-knit
community of . . . — Map (db m18617) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Jekyll Island Boat House Site , Shipshape for the Season — ( Jekyll Island Club, 1886-1942 ) |
| | (Left text)
There is very little photo documentation of
exactly what the Boathouse looked like during
the Club era. Club members rarely would have
been found in this area, It was typically used
by year-round employees.
The only visible evidence of the Boathouse is
a few piers and the capstan winch. The capstan
was used to pull boats and launches from the
water into the boathouse. Ropes were fed in the
groove along the circumference of the metal
wheel. Handles were . . . — Map (db m18565) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 063-28 — Jekyll Island Club Wharf |
| | Here anchored the most luxurious pleasure craft in the world during the existence of the Jekyll Island Club, 1886-1942. No other yacht was comparable to John Pierpont Morgan's several Corsairs. Corsair II, too large to dock, anchored in the channel. Morgan was escorted ashore by a flotilla of small craft, after a cannon had sounded off his arrival in these waters. Corsair II was 304 ft. overall, beam 33 1/2 ft., draft 17 ft., speed 19 knots, tonnage 1,600. About this . . . — Map (db m17405) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 63-18 — Le Sieur Christophe Anne Poulain Du Bignon — (1739- 1825) |
| | Horton - Du Bignon House
Du Bignon Burial Ground
Beginning with Poulain du Bignon, five du Bignon generations made Jekyll Island one of Georgia`s most romantic Golden Isles. This tabby ruin and burial ground alone remain from Jekyll Island's century (1794-1886) as the du Bignon Plantation. Christophe Poulain, native of Lambelle, Brittany, was a much decorated French naval captain whose loyalty to Louis 16th in the French Revolution forced him to flee his patrimonial lands. In 1792 on . . . — Map (db m18497) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — M.E. Thompson and the Purchase of Jekyll Island |
| | Melvin E. Thompson, Acting Governor, 1947-1949, was born in Millen, Jenkins County, Georgia, in 1903. After a career as educator and public servant, Thompson was elected Lieutenant Governor for the term beginning January, 1947. Following the death of Governor-Elect Eugene Talmadge, shortly before his inauguration, Thompson became Acting Governor until the next scheduled general election. During his term as Acting Governor, one of his contributions to the state was the acquiring of Jekyll . . . — Map (db m17207) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 063-15 — Major William Horton |
| | Born in England Came to Georgia in 1736 Died at Savannah in 1748
These are the remains of Horton's tabby house. Major Horton of Oglethorpe's Regiment, the first English resident of Jekyll Island, erected on the north end of Jekyll a two-story dwelling and large barn. He cleared fields here for cultivation of crops which supplied
the settlers at Frederica on St. Simons Island, a neighboring island, who would have suffered except for this assistance. Major Horton cut a road across the . . . — Map (db m17577) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — Men of Means — Sans Souci — Jekyll Island |
| | What to do when you require privacy from the overflowing crowds of guests at the Clubhouse, but want to take advantage of its world-class French chef, new billiards wing, and the cheerful fireplace of the main parlor ? The answer for Henry B. Hyde and fellow Jekyll Island Associates was to build the elegant Sans Souci.
Hyde, nicknamed the Czar of Jekyll for his demanding approach to running the Club's affairs, directed every aspect of San Souci's creation, from its choice site near the . . . — Map (db m17279) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 63-18 — Poulain DuBignon and the DuBignon Burying Ground |
| | This burying ground contains the bodies of several members of the du Bignon family, descendants of Le Sieur Christophe Poulain de la Houssaye du Bignon, native of Saint-Malo in Brittany. One of four Frenchmen, former residents of Sapelo Island, who purchased Jekyll Island in 1791, Poulain du Bignon became the sole owner a few years later.
In his youth du Bignon was an officer in the French army in India and served for years fighting against the domination of Great Britain. Later he commanded . . . — Map (db m17509) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 63-16 — Tabby |
| | Tabby was the building material for walls, floors, and roofs widely used throughout coastal Georgia during the Military and Plantation Eras. It was composed of equal parts of sand, lime, oyster shell and water mixed into a mortar and poured into forms.
The lime used in tabby was made by burning oyster shell taken from Indian Shell Mounds, the trash piles of the Indians. The word tabby is African in origin, with an Arabic background, and means "a wall made of earth or masonry." This method of . . . — Map (db m17578) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 063-31 — The Boat House Site |
| | This is the site of the Jekyll Island Club Boat House where the 100 foot steamer The Jekyll Island was stored during the off season. (The Club season was usually from after New Years until before Easter).
There was no Jekyll Creek bridge (dedicated 1954), no Sidney Lanier bridge (opened 1956) in the Jekyll Island Club Era. Many Club members entrained to Brunswick on their plush private railroad cars. There they were met at the wharf by the steamer The Jekyll Island; The Hattie; The . . . — Map (db m17462) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Jekyll Island — 063-35 — The Spanish on Jekyll Island |
| | Within sight and sound of St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island was ideal for entertaining Spanish visitors to the settlement at Frederica. Major William Horton, resident of the island, received the guests
while Oglethorpe on St. Simons, with cannon booming and his few soldiers appearing and reappearing on the south beach, professed a strength he did not have.
In 1736, Spanish Commissioners Don Pedro Lamberto and Don Manuel d`Arcy, sent by Governor Sanchez of St. Augustine to discuss rival . . . — Map (db m17281) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), New Hope — 67-1 — Needwood Baptist Church and Needwood School |
| | Needwood Baptist Church was organized in 1866 on nearby Broadfield Plantation as Broadfield Baptist Church of the Zion Baptist Association. This structure, built in the 1870s, was redesigned in 1885 when the church moved its congregation here. Its formation and history are representative of religious development in the context of plantation rice culture. The nearby one-room Needwood School provided elementary education for this community from 1907 until desegregation in the 1960s. Both . . . — Map (db m13575) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St . Simons Island — Lovely Lane Chapel |
| | [Left panel]
Constructed in 1880 by Norman Dodge, repaired in 1897 after a hurricane damaged it, the Chapel was designed by architect G.W.Laine of Atlanta. It was originally known as Union Church and later connsecrated [sic] as St. James Episcopal. In 1911 the church , no longer used for services, was de-consecrated, moved to its present location and used as a recreational center.
In 1949, the Methodists reconsecrated the chapel, naming it Lovely Lane after the site of the 1784 . . . — Map (db m12552) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simon Island — 063-8 — German Village — → |
| | Here in 1736, Oglethorpe settled a group of German Lutherans, known as Salzburgers, and their settlement was called the German Village. These Salzburgers made their living by planting, fishing, and selling their products to the Frederica settlers. When Oglethorpe`s regiment was disbanded in 1749 the Salzburgers left St. Simons Island. During the Plantation Era, the Wylly family lived here, their plantation being called "The Village." — Map (db m12389) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — A Man Named Wesley Passed This Way / Lovely Lane Chapel |
| | On October 21, 1735, John and Charles Wesley and General James Oglethorpe (founder of the colony of Georgia) and eighty-four other passengers sailed from England on the ship "The Simmonds". After a hundred and fourteen days they sailed into the Savannah River (February 14, 1736). In March of 1736, Charles Wesley accompanied General Oglethorpe to Fort Frederica; soon after John Wesley joined his brother Charles, Benjamin Ingham and Charles DeLamotte, two other members of the "Holy Club", also . . . — Map (db m12549) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — A Mission By The Sea / Susannah Wesley |
| | (Front) A Mission By The SeaIn 1949, the South Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church purchased 43.53 acres of the Hamilton Plantation from the Sea Island Company for a Christian conference center. They named "Epworth" after the Wesleys' English Village home. "By The Sea" suggests the pines and palms running in rows with the Atlantic ocean only a short distance away. Opening day, July 25, 1959, brought 800 Methodists to the banks of the Frederica River, where Bishop Arthur J. . . . — Map (db m12553) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — Battle of Bloody Marsh |
| | We are resolved not to suffer
defeat - we will rather die like
Leonidas and his Spartans - if we
can but protect Georgia and
Carolina and the rest of the Americans
from desolation Oglethorpe
Erected on the battlefield of
Bloody Marsh - by the Georgia
Society of Colonial Dames of America
and the Georgia Society of Colonial
Wars in memory of the great victory
won over the Spainiards on this spot
July 7 - 1742
Tiffany & Co. — Map (db m12915) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-42 — Battle of Gully Hole Creek |
| | During the late morning of July 7, 1742 Georgia Rangers guarding the military road approach to the town of Frederica sighted a force of over 100 Spanish soldiers and their Indian allies. James Edward
Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia, quickly organized a force composed of the Highland Independent Company, Rangers and Indian friends and courageously led the assault on the Spanish at a place near this marker.
The fighting was fierce and lasted almost an hour as Frederica's defenders routed the . . . — Map (db m11634) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — Captain Gascoigne |
| | In 1736 Captain Gascoigne of the
British Sloop-of War Hawk,established
here at Gascoigne Bluff the base for
the naval defense of the Colony of
Georgia. The Spaniards landed here
in the invasion of 1742.
In 1794 Live Oak timbers were cut
on St.Simons, loaded from this bluff
and sent to Boston to be used in the
construction of the Frigate Constitution,
better known as " Old Ironsides"...... — Map (db m13414) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — Cassina Garden Club Houses |
| | These houses were slave cabins on the Gascoigne Bluff section of Hamilton Plantation which was developed in 1793 by James Hamilton into one of the largest estates on St. Simons Island.
Eventually this Gascoigne Bluff area was given to Glynn County for a park honoring the first naval site in America. These cabins were given to the Cassina Garden Club in 1931 for preservation purposes. — Map (db m11810) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-35 — Christ Church Cemetery |
| | Here are buried former Rectors of Christ Church and their families, the families of early settlers and of plantation days, officers of the British Army, and soldiers of every war in which our country fought. The oldest tombstone is dated 1803 but it is believed that there were a number of burials here before that time. — Map (db m12346) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-33A — Christ Episcopal Church |
| | This congregation was established as a mission of the Church of England in February, 1736. The Rev. Charles Wesley, ordained priest of that Church, conducted the first services in the chapel within the walls of Fort Frederica. The Rev. John Wesley, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, Savannah, also served this mission. under the name St. James, this was one of the eight original parishes established in 1758. After the Revolution, this and other churches which had been served continuously by . . . — Map (db m17449) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-3 — Demere Road |
| | From the site of the Battle of Bloody Marsh to the intersection with Ocean Boulevard, this road is part of the Military Road, sometimes called The King’s High Road, which was built by Frederica settlers in 1738 to connect Fort Frederica and Fort St. Simons. It was used by British and Spanish forces during the Spanish invasion of 1742 and is the only part of the old Military Road still in use. — Map (db m12473) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — Early History of St. Simons Island |
| | The Spanish established several
missions along Georgia's coastal sea
islands. Two missions were located on
St. Simons Island, called " Isla De
Guadalquini" by the Spanish: Santo
Domingo de Asajo (Guale) and San
Buenaventura de Guadalquini (Mocama).
San Simon and Ocotonico were Yamasee
villages that did not convert to Christianity.
The demise of these missions and villages
can be attributed to susequent raids by the
Chichimeco Indians ( from the interior of
Georgia ) and later, . . . — Map (db m13431) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — Epworth By The Sea / Epworth Pioneers |
| | Epworth by the SeaJohn and Charles Wesley were born in a parsonage with thatched roof and solidly built walls in Epworth, England. This home was destroyed by fire when John was six years old. All the family were able to escape except John. From an attic window the little boy`s face shone in the reflection of the flame. A human ladder was formed and the life of him who later "put his hands under the civilization of England and lifted it up toward God" was saved. Epworth By The Sea has been . . . — Map (db m12560) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — Fort St Simons |
| | Was erected on this site in 1736 by British Forces under Oglethorpe. During the Spanish invasion of 1742 the English abandoned this fort which the Spaniards then occupied as their headquarters.
W.P.A. D.A.C. 1936 — Map (db m12183) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-12 — Gascoigne Bluff |
| | Throughout the ages Gascoigne Bluff has been the gateway to St. Simons Island. An Indian village was located here. Capt. James Gascoigne of HM Sloop-of-war, HAWK, which convoyed the Frederica settlers on their voyage across the Atlantic in 1736, established headquarters for Georgia's naval forces and had his plantation here. In the invasion of 1742 the Spaniards landed at this bluff.
Live oak timbers for the building of USS CONSTITUTION, better known as "OLD IRONSIDES," and the other vessels . . . — Map (db m12229) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-13 — Gascoigne Bluff |
| | Throughout the ages Gascoigne Bluff has been the gateway to St. Simons Island. An Indian village was located here. Capt. James Gascoigne of HM Sloop-of-was, HAWK, which convoyed the Frederica settlers on their voyage across the Atlantic in 1736, established headquarters for Georgia`s naval forces and had his plantation here. In the invasion of 1742 the Spaniards landed at this Bluff.
Live oak timbers for the building of USS CONSTITUTION, better known as "OLD IRONSIDES." and the other vessels . . . — Map (db m13415) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — Historic St. Simons Lighthouse |
| |
Altitude Longitude Latitude
104 ft. 81°12'06"W 31°08'00"N
[ Globe Emblem ]
" The axis of the earth
sticks out visibly through
the centre of each and
every town or city."
Oliver Wendell Holmes — Map (db m13430) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-6 — Old Spanish Garden |
| | Spain maintained missions along this coast for more than a century. Beginning in 1568 Jesuit and, later, Franciscan missionaries labored to Christianize the Indians and cultivated in the mission gardens figs, peaches, oranges and other plants introduced from Europe. Due to Indian uprisings, pirate raids and British depredations these missions were removed further south in 1686.
A map of St, Simons Island made in 1739 by Capt. John Thomas, engineer in Oglethorpe`s Regiment, locates an
"Old . . . — Map (db m12430) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — Pike's Bluff |
| | In circa 1740, James Oglethorpe established a watch house west of here on the bank of the Frederica River. In 1745, Edward Kimber described this site as a place "from whence they can see Vessels a great Way to the Northward" and it served as a lookout for Fort Frederica. A corporal's guard was stationed at the watch house under the charge of Richard Pike, an indentured servent who had been maimed in public service. Pike and his wife, the daughter of a freeholder at Fort Frederica, lived on this . . . — Map (db m12555) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 63-3 — S.S. Oklahoma and Esso Baton Rouge — Attacked by U-123 |
| | After midnight on April 8, 1942, the German submarine U-123 was in position off the St. Simons Island sea buoy. Minutes later it chased and torpedoed two tankers, the Oklahoma and Esso Baton Rouge, killing twenty-two crew members. Survivors were brought here to the U.S. Coast Guard Station for debriefing. Five of those killed were buried in Brunswick`s Palmetto Cemetery as "Unknown Seamen," but were positively identified in 1998. The ships were raised, towed to Brunswick for emergency repairs . . . — Map (db m15609) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-4A — Sinclair Plantation |
| | This was the plantation of Archibald Sinclair, tything man of the town of Frederica. In 1765 it was granted to Donald Forbes as bounty land for his services in Oglethorpe`s regiment. Forbes sold to Gen. Lachlan McIntosh of Revolutionary War fame, whose son, Major William McIntosh, lived and died in the old plantation house. Here, in the family burial plot, lie the bodies of Major McIntosh and his two children. The Agricultural and Sporting Club of St. Simons Island, an organization of . . . — Map (db m12509) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — The First Light House ~ 1810 |
| | In 1804, Scottish-born plantation owner
John Couper sold four acres of land for $1 to the
new United States government to build the first
St. Simons Light Station.James Gould was hired
to design and build the lighthouse and
keeper's dwelling in 1807. It was constructed of
tabby - a mixture of oyster shells, lime, sand,
and water. It was first lit in 1811.
The first lighthouse was 75' tall, octagonal, 25' at the
base and tapered to 10' at the top. The 10' iron . . . — Map (db m13463) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — The Historic St Simons Light Station |
| | Surley the most important aspect of
the lighthouse to the mariner is the light
that emanates from the tower. The tall, white
beacon also serves as a day-mark. The light,
a 1,000 watt electric bulb, is reflected by a
fixed 3rd Order Fresnel Lens
manufactured by L. Sautier of Paris. Four
flash panels, mounted around a fixed lens,
revolve around the bulb flashing one beam
per minute. The beam projects out 23 miles,
limited by the curvature of the earth.
Today, our . . . — Map (db m13464) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — 063-34A — The Wesley Oak |
| | Not far from this spot stood the "great tree" under which Charles Wesley had prayers and preached, March 14, 1736, the first Sunday after his arrival. There were about twenty people present, among whom was Mr. Oglethorpe. A year later, Georgia Whitfield, appointed by the Bishop of London to serve as Deacon at Savannah and Frederica, wrote in his Journal (August 8, 1737): "In the evening we had publick Prayers, and expounding of the second Lesson under a large tree, and many more present than . . . — Map (db m12370) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St Simons Island — William Bartram Trail — Traced 1773-1777 — Deep South Region |
| | In 1774 William Bartram came to Frederica. He explored St. Simons Island and noted the flora and beautiful live oaks. — Map (db m11639) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — A Clash Of Cultures |
| | The skirmish at Bloody Marsh was more than a battle.
It was a clash of cultures - each vying for control of
what is now the southeastern United States.
Soldiers from Hispanic colonies in the New World
fought under the Spanish banner, with the help of
Indians and emancipated blacks from Florida. British
defenders included English and Scottish immigrants
and friendly Southeastern Indians. The British coalition fought effectively, and defeated the invading Spanish army of St. Simon Island. — Map (db m15470) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Couper's Point |
| | In 1804, John Couper of
Cannon's Point Plantation sold 4
acres of land, known as Couper's
Point, to the U.S. Government
for the sum of $1.00. This is
the site where the first St.
Simons Lighthouse, built by
James Gould, was located. — Map (db m14041) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — 063-39 — Delegal's Fort |
| | The first fortification built by the British on the South End of St. Simons Island was erected near this site in April, 1736, by soldiers of the South Carolina Independent Company under the command of Lieutenant Philip Delegal. Before coming to St. Simons these soldiers had been stationed at Fort Frederica near Port Royal, South Carolina. The fortification erected here, known as "Delegal`s Fort at Sea Point", commanded the entrance to the harbor, being located "so that all ships... must pass . . . — Map (db m12167) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Fort Frederica |
| | In 1736, on this historic site, Fort Frederica was constructed by the early settlers of the Colony of Georgia under General James Edward Oglethorpe. It was the strongest fortification built by Great Britain on American soil and its purpose was to protect Georgia and the colonies to the north from the Spaniards who were already established in Florida. In 1742, six years later, more than 3,000 Spanish troops landed in 52 vessels at Gascoigne Bluff on St. Simons island. The British forces . . . — Map (db m18909) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Fort St. Simons |
| | On this site Fort St.Simons was built by
English troops under command of General
James Edward Oglethorpe in 1783. It guarded
the entrance to the Frederica River through
which ships must pass to reach Fort Frederica.
With nearby Delegal's Fort, it turned the
southern tip of St. Simons Island into Georgia's
most heavily fortified area. Fort St. Simons
was destroyed by Spanish soldiers in 1742. — Map (db m13539) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica |
| | " Frederica is situated on the Island of
St. Simons, in the middle of an Indian
field where our people found 30 or 40
acres cleared by them."
Francis Moore
1736
A Voyage to Georgia
The first british settlers landed here on
February 18, 1736-forty years before the
signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The town they established lay on the
southern frontier of the English colonies,
on land contested by Spain. James Oglethorpe,
respectfully known as . . . — Map (db m18823) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica - Candlemaker |
| | John Calwell, the candlemaker, " had
built lately a large house of three storied
high which was looked on to be the best
in town, with storehouses, etc. for carrying
on the trade..."
Journal of William Stephens
June 25, 1745 During its short history, Frederica's residents
engaged in a variety of occupations. There
were literally "butchers, bakers and candlestick
makers." At this site John Calwell and his family
made candles and soap fine enough to export to
Pennsylvania . . . — Map (db m18906) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica - Huts and Houses |
| | " Some houses are built entirely of brick, some
of brick and wood, some few of tappy-work; but
most of the meaner sort of wood only."
London Magazine 1745 When Frederica was established in 1736, each
freeholder was given a lot 60 foot wide by 90
feet deep. For temporary shelter, settlers built
huts covered with palmetto leaves, giving the
place the look of a camp.
John Humble, a laborer and boat pilot, was the
original owner of this lot. His wife died in 1736,
shortly after . . . — Map (db m18905) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica - Indian Interpreter |
| | Mary Musgrove Matthews " has always
been in great esteen with the General,... for
being half Indian by extract, she had a very
great influence upon many of them, particulary
the Creek Nation...."
William Stephens
February 22, 1740 In 1743, Mary Musgrove Matthews, General Oglethorpe's Indian interpreter, lived on this lot. She had a good house made of tabby- a type of concrete made with water, sand, lime, and
oyster shells. The daughter of a white trader and a Creek Indian . . . — Map (db m18908) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica - Military Road |
| | " The inhabitants of the town went
out on the 25th [September 1738] with
the General and cut a road through
the woods down to the soldiers fort..."
Gentleman's Magazine
January 1739 In front of you lies the trace of the historic
Military Road - a critical link between
Frederica and Fort St. Simons at the
southern tip of the island.
Townspeople and soldiers built the road,
hacking through six miles of thick woods
and marshes in three days. Since the work
was done . . . — Map (db m18911) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica - Oglethorpe |
| | This remnant is all
that time has spared of the
citadel of the town of Frederica
built by
General Oglethorpe
A.D. 1736
As an outpost against
The Spanish in Florida — Map (db m18919) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica - Old Burial Ground |
| | " This Frederica is a very strange place; it
was once a town-the town,the metropolis of
the island."
Francis Anne Kemble
Visitor to Frederica
1839 Here, in unknown graves more than two centries old,
lie many of the early settlers of Frederica. Although
the town they created did not survive, they helped
to lay the foundation for what would become the
State of Georgia. General James Oglethorpe, governor of the colony,passed this cemetery often en route to his . . . — Map (db m18907) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica - The Barricks |
| | " There are barracks in the town on
the north side,ninety feet square, built of tappy,
covered by cypress shingles; and a handsome
tower over the gateway...."
London Magazine
October 23, 1747 At the time of the Spanish attack in 1742,
about 200 British troops were stationed
at Frederica. Some of the officers and
married men lived in their own homes in
or near town. Others lived camp-style in
clapboard or thatched huts adjacent to
this site. The barracks that stood . . . — Map (db m18917) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Frederica - The Fort |
| | " In the morning, Mr. Oglethorpe began
to mark out a fort with four bastions, and
taught the men how to dig the ditch, and
raise and turf the rampart."
Francis Moore
1736
A Voyage to Georgia General Oglethorpe chose this site for
Frederica's fort. It was high ground on
a river bend where cannon could hold
off Spanish ships upstream or
downstream. Flanking marshes gave
protection against land attack, And
there was plenty of timber for building
fortifications. . . . — Map (db m18915) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — 63-8 — Hamilton Plantation |
| | In 1800 James Hamilton, with his partner John Couper, purchased land at Gascoigne Bluff. Under Hamilton’s stewardship, Hamilton Plantation became one of the major St. Simons producers of long-staple cotton. After Hamilton moved to Philadelphia, management oversight was carried out by his namesake, James Hamilton Couper, who eventually owned Hamilton. From colonial days, Gascoigne Bluff had served as a deep-water landing. In the plantation era, imported goods and cotton exports for the entire . . . — Map (db m19084) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — 063-9 — Harrington Hall — → |
| | Capt. Raymond Demere, a native of France, served many years in the British army at Gibraltar before coming to Georgia in 1738 as an officer in Oglethorpe´s Regiment. His home, Harrington Hall, was located at this site.
Later generations of Demere family lived at the south end of St. Simons Island where their plantation was called Mulberry Grove. — Map (db m14670) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — Keepers of the Light |
| | The present lighthouse was
commissioned by the U.S.
Government in 1867 to be
built adjacent to the site of
the 1810 tower. The 104' tower
and keeper's dwelling were
designed by the noted
architect Charles Clusky.
Clusky and several of his crew
members died of malaria
during construction. The light
and dwelling were completed
in 1872.
The Lighthouse and Keeper's
Dwelling Today
The lighthouse tower is of brick
construction. Cylindrical in shape,
it has . . . — Map (db m13486) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — 063-7 — Retreat Plantation |
| | In 1804 William Page purchased land on St. Simons Sound and named it Retreat. With later purchases, Retreat became one of the preeminent plantations on St. Simons Island for the production of long-staple cotton. In 1827 the Pages' only child, Anna Matilda, who had married Thomas Butler King of Massachusetts, inherited Retreat. She was active in the management of the plantation and its slave population. Mr. King became a Georgia state senator and U. S. Congressman, where he led efforts to . . . — Map (db m11273) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — St. Simons Island |
| | From March 9 - May 12, 1738, Charles Wesley, secretary to James Oglethorpe, was Anglican cleric to the founders of Fort Frederica. His stern discipline earned disfavor among the colonists and Oglethorpe. John Wesley, religious leaders of the colony of Georgia, visited Charles in April 1736, preaching in the storehouse. Charles returned to England. John ministered to the Fredericans in four trips before leaving "with utter despair of doing good there" on January 26, 1737. After John`s return to . . . — Map (db m12155) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — 63-4 — St. Simons Park |
| | St. Simons park was the site of a Mocama Indian village of approximately 100-200 people. The inhabitants used marine resources, agriculture, square wattle and daub houses, stamped and incised Irene style ceramics, and burial mounds characteristic of this late prehistorical coastal culture. The burial mounds were in use within the chiefdom of Guadalquini from the 1450s-1600s. Artifacts found there include ceramic bowls, pipes, and a rare chevron bead. The refuse midden area revealed that the . . . — Map (db m12262) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), St. Simons Island — 63-6 — The Georgia Navy |
| | During the American Revolution four heavily-armed row galleys were constructed in Savannah for the Georgia Navy, all underwritten by the Continental Congress. In nearby Frederica River, beginning at dawn on April 19, 1778, Georgia galleys Lee, Washington, and Bulloch, commanded by Colonel Samuel Elbert, attacked HM brigantine Hinchinbrook, the armed sloop Rebecca, and an armed watering brig. The British attempted to retaliate, but were out-gunned and out-maneuvered. As they tried to gain an . . . — Map (db m10088) |
| Georgia (Glynn County), Thalmann — 063-4B — Old Post Road |
| | This road, formerly an Indian trail which paralleled the coast, was used by the Spanish and British. In 1778 it was traveled by Revolutionary soldiers who marched against Fort Tonyn. The first mail service south of Savannah was established over this road in 1763. Later it became a regular stagecoach route.
At Coleridge, a short distance north of the present Waycross Highway, Job Tyson maintained a tavern for travelers along the post road. it was the only hostel between the Altamaha and Satilla rivers and was a regular stagecoach stop. — Map (db m14444) |
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