Tybee Island in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Tybrisa Pier and Pavilion

Tybee Island Black History Trail

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Tybrisa Pier and Pavilion Marker

Inscription. 1933 marked the end of prohibition and the beginning of a new era for music on Tybee Island. Famous Black musicians of National and International renown preformed jazz and swing with Big Bands on Tybrisa, a trend that would last until the late 1950s. Tickets for these shows were sold at the Savannah Pharmacy on West Broad Street. Cab Calloway's sister, Blanche Calloway, was among the first out-of-town swing bands after the Roaring Twenties to appear on the Savannah-Tybee circuit. From New York, she was known as the "Hi-Di-Ho Princess" and her group was almost as famous as her brother's band. It was mostly during the thirties that the Harlem Club brought a dazzling array of famous big bands to Tybee via train. The African American community of Tybee, many of whom were Gullah Geechee, would bring covered dishes to the train to feed the visiting Black musicians who were forced to sleep on the Pullman cars at the Tybee Railroad Depot due to segregation. The real entertainment happened on the parked trains with locals, food, music, and love away from the White gaze.

(caption) Blanche Calloway Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Erected 2024 by Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization. (Marker Number Stop 8.)

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.

Location. 31° 59.514′ N, 80° 50.815′ W. Marker is on Tybee Island, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is at the intersection of Strand Avenue and Tybrisa Street, on the right when traveling north on Strand Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1511 Strand Avenue, Tybee Island GA 31328, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain, on the Georgia Coast and the Golden Isles,

in Greater Savannah,

and on the Sea Islands.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Tybee Island Orange Crush (here, next to this marker); Savannah Beach Wade-Ins (within shouting distance of this marker); Tybrisa Pavilion 1900/1996 (within shouting distance of this marker); The Tybrisa Pavilion II (within shouting distance of this marker); Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway (about 800 feet away); Nickie’s Fountain (about 800 feet away); James Adams’ Oyster House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Tybee Island Fish Camp (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tybee Island.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Carbo House (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . .
1. Tough on Black Asses: Segregation Ideology in the Early American Jazz Industry. (Submitted on July 20, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. An Island’s Agony and Ecstasy. (Submitted on July 20, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Additional commentary.

Tybrisa Pier and Pavilion Marker (right) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Tybrisa Pier and Pavilion Marker (right)

1. The Tybee Island Black History Trail
“The Tybee Island Black History Trail documents the arrival of enslaved Africans at Lazaretto Creek Quarantine Station and follows their ancestral journey to present-day Tybee. The trail uncovers parts of Tybee Island’s history and geographies that remain unfamiliar to most people and explores the legacies of enslavement, segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, including efforts to desegregate Tybee Island’s White beach. The trail also highlights the ongoing efforts of organizations such as Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization , whose volunteers work tirelessly to retain these histories and bring awareness to their importance in the present.” Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization

— Submitted July 21, 2024.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 183 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 20, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.