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

Original Gilyard Cottage Site

Tybee Island Black History Trail

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Original Gilyard Cottage Site Marker

Inscription. Joseph "Thomas" Gilyard's Hutment sat at this location from 1975 to 2007. Gilyard used the building as a guest cottage and a place to spend time with friends. It was never used as a primary residence. The hutment was donated to the Tybee Island Historical Society in 2007, moved to the Tybee Lighthouse property, and has since been restored. Thomas Gilyard was born on August 10, 1926 and moved to Tybee from Hardeeville, South Carolina, in the 1960s. Mr. Gilyard was a former prize fighter with a 4th grade education. He was a hard worker and made a living on the island by driving a truck for the City of Tybee Island. The Hutment, which is now located at the Tybee Lighthouse, was built for Fort Screven between 1900 and 1920. Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Kuni gave Thomas the house for free to be moved from the north end of Hosti Avenue to Thomas's property off Wilson and Naylor Avenues in 1975. Thomas's main residence, which he purchased from Lucille Jackson for $1,000, was located just across Wilson Avenue and was a cinderblock house with jalousie windows. It has since been demolished. Thomas passed away on October 2, 2010.

(caption) Joseph Thomas Gilyard (1926 - 2010) sitting on the steps of what is known today as the Gilyard Cottage. This is prior to its move and restoration. Photo courtesy of Linda Alexander

Erected 2024

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

by Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization. (Marker Number Stop 5.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: African Americans.

Location. 32° 1.09′ N, 80° 50.915′ W. Marker is on Tybee Island, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is at the intersection of Naylor Avenue and Wilson Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Naylor Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11 Naylor 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

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Original Gilyard Cottage Site Marker

8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort Screven (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Brown Family Home (about 600 feet away); Fort Screven District (about 700 feet away); Fort Screven Bakery - 1914 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Brigadier General James Screven (approx. 0.2 miles away); Alger Avenue Neighborhood (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Brown Contracting and Cement Factory (approx. 0.2 miles away); Enlisted Men’s Barracks- 1899-1910 (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tybee Island.

Also see . . . Tybee Black History Trail Markers ‘We’re learning about the people who lived here’. (Submitted on July 20, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Additional commentary.
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

Paid Advertisement

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 248 times since then and 33 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.