This was shot at sunset, looking west.

Chatham County, Georgia

When US 17, the Coastal Highway, was the main artery on the Atlantic seaboard from Virginia to Florida, the Brunswick Board of Trade & the Sea Island Company commissioned Francis L. Abreu to design this welcome center at the entrance to the St. Simons Causeway. Abreu, a famous architect in his own right, had collaborated with Addison Mizner on the original Cloister Hotel.

It was originally advertised as “Brunswick’s Greeting to Vacationists-Georgia’s Gateway to the Road to Romance and Recreation”. The building is in immediate need of preservation. We can only hope that Brunswick will recognize its importance and not have the same dismissive view of it that they’ve had of the historic Dart House, just down the road.

Abreu was born into a privileged Cuban-American background in 1896. His parents owned a sugar plantation and also kept a home in upstate New York. He was a member of the track team at Cornell University and served in the U. S. Navy in World War I.  After earning a degree in architecture, he moved to Fort Lauderdale, where his parents had relocated, and was one of the most active early builders in the city’s first real estate boom. He met his future wife, May Patterson on Sea Island in 1938. They later settled in Atlanta where they were active philanthropists.

This is arguably the most prominent public building he designed still standing in Georgia. It should be preserved and National Register of Historic Places recognition sought.

http://abreufoundation.org/history/

Brunswick, Georgia

This rarely noticed historic marker beside the Visitor’s Club gives some insight as to the history of the busy F. J. Torras Causeway connecting the mainland to St. Simons Island. The route was named in honor of longtime Brunswick engineer Fernando Joseph Torras in 1953. Torras was the engineer of the original modern causeway, built in 1923, built by the Virginia Bridge & Iron Works. The larger plaque lists the city and county commissioners and others involved in the 1950 causeway, built by Tidewater Construction Corporation with the consultation of Sverdrup & Parcel. Torras was also involved, as the executive clerk, in the construction of the second causeway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.J._Torras_Causeway

Brunswick, Georgia

Spanish-moss-draped Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana) are emblematic of the Southern coastal region and a great place to see them is Gascoigne Bluff, adjacent to Epworth By The Sea. There’s a public park here with ample free parking. The oak grove is quite impressive, but perhaps not nearly as impressive as what a visitor would have seen 200 years or more in the past. The timber used in the construction of the famed USS Constitution, better known as Old Ironsides, was cut at this bluff.

St. Simons Island, Georgia

This lovely chapel is one of the most beautiful churches on St. Simons Island, like its mother church, Christ Church, Frederica. The following history comes from the Christ Church, Frederica website:

St. Ignatius Church was built in 1886 for the former slaves on St. Simons Island. After a hurricane in 1898 it was rebuilt and rotated 90°. The wood has never been stained but it looks this way due to the process of aging. It was made with heart of pine and oak. The Altar rail is hand carved. The Lectern, the Bishop’s chair, Priest’s chair, and Baptismal font were all donated by Lovely Lane Chapel. The stained glass windows behind the Altar were made in Philadelphia by the Willet Company. The Hand depicts God the Father, the Lamb depicts God the Son, and the Dove depicts the Holy Spirit.

The candlesticks on the Altar were brought from England in 1858. The bell was installed in the 1980’s and is from the WWII Liberty Ship Henry Wynkoop. The reed organ was built circa 1900 and installed at Christ Church Frederica in 1933. The original hand pump is still intact. The pipes are merely decorative. For years, the windows in the Church were translucent, jalousie-panel glass. But beginning in the year 2000 ten new stained glass windows were designed by M.B. Keys, a parishioner of Christ Church Frederica, and made by the Wippell Company of Exeter, England. The Rt. Rev. Henry I. Louttit, Bishop of Georgia, blessed the new windows April 29, 2001.

The grounds here are beautiful and if you’re looking for a place for quite reflection, just pull into the parking lot and have a look around.

St. Simons Island, Georgia

Founded in 1808, Christ Church did not build a permanent house of worship until 1820, due largely to economic troubles stemming from the War of 1812.  The first structure stood until the Civil War, when Union troops damaged it so badly that members were forced to meet in their homes until the present structure was built in 1884.

The interior of Christ Church is breathtaking. Shipbuilders built the new cruciform church to resemble an inverted ship’s hull, symbolic of the ship of faith  There are various stained glass windows throughout.

One of two windows in the vestibule of Christ Church dedicated to the rector of the present structure, this one features the original antebellum church, as well as the present structure. The other window is dedicated to Anson Greene Phelps Dodge, who established  the Dodge Home for Boys (1895-1956) and endowed the All Saints Cathedral in Allahabad, India, 1884. Other windows, including one made by Tiffany Studios, feature typical but beautifully rendered Christian iconography.

Christ Church Cemetery, Frederica

The church and graveyard are among the most visited and beloved places on St. Simons. It’s the final resting place of many Georgia pioneers and veterans of nearly every war dating from the American Revolution onward. The following photos represent just a small sampling of the cemetery.

Lewellin Harris (1742? – 15 December 1808)

Ann Harris (1759? – 17 April 1815)

This stone is erected by Henry Allen & John Benjamin Harris, to the memory of their Father, Lewellin Harris, an Old & respectable Inhabitant of St. Simons Island, who departed this transitory life on said Island Dec. 15, 1808, Aged 66.  Also Their Mother Ann Harris, wife of Lewellin Harris, who departed this life on the same Island, April 17, 1815, Aged 56.

The Hazzard family owned West Point and Pike’s Bluff plantations on St. Simons. This tabby mausoleum is one of the most interesting gravesites in Christ Church cemetery. The date A. D. 1813 is inscribed on a bronze marker at the foot of the mausoleum and is a bit mysterious. This history of the Hazzards was written by Carey C. Giudici: The Hazzard family was one of the Island’s most colorful families. Originally from South Carolina, Revolutionary War veteran Colonel William Hazzard moved to the area and purchased West Point in 1818. This plantation, just north of Frederica, became the home of Hazzard’s oldest son Colonel William Wigg Hazzard. Nine years later the younger son, Dr. Thomas Fuller Hazzard bought the Pike’s Bluff property that adjoined West Point to the north. The family now owned much of the north end of St. Simons Island. Very active in church activities, they also served as representatives to Georgia’s House of Representatives, enjoyed competing in their racing boats Shark and Comet, and frequently went hunting with their pack of deer hounds. Both were also noted writers; William Wigg Hazzard’s 1825 history of Glynn County is still in print. In 1838 a boundary dispute resulted in Dr. Thomas Hazzard shooting a young neighbor, John Armstrong Wylly. Tradition has it that although Dr. Hazzard was acquitted of any crime, the family was so ostracized by the other planter families that they built their own family chapel on West Point–which became known as “The Pink Chapel” because of the lichen-based discoloration on its tabby walls. Colonel Hazzard’s son, Captain William Miles Hazzard, commanded the local Confederate Army detachment during the Civil War. With nine troops and a slave named Henry, he burned the U.S. Navy headquarters on the occupied St. Simons.

Private Cyrus Dart (11 June 1764 – 29 June 1817)

Connecticut Continental Line, Revolutionary War. Drowned Off St. Simons Island.

Cyrus Dart was born in Haddon, Connecticut. In 1782, he enlisted as  Private in the 1st Connecticut Regiment Continental Line and served for one year. After the Revolutionary War, he completed medical studies in Connecticut and in 1792 moved to Glynn County where he operated a medical practice in the town of Frederica. In 1796, Cyrus married Ann Harris and was appointed Surgeon in the U. S. Army, stationed at Coleraine in Camden County. In 1802 he resigned from the Army and was appointed Quarantine Officer for the Port of Brunswick and served in that position until his death. The untimely accident that took his life at age 53 was caused when his rowboat capsized as he and his son, Urbanus, were enroute to inspect an inccoming vessel. (Source: Marshes of Glynn Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution)

Sarah Frewin (1811? – 25 October 1824)

Daughter of James & Elizabeth Frewin, aged 13 years.

Oak & Acorn Garland, Headstone of John Couper, one of many Coupers who worshiped here. Couper’s Point, sight of St. Simons Light, was deeded to the U. S. by John Couper in 1804 for the construction of a lighthouse.

Major William Page (2 January 1764 – 12 January 1827)

William Page was born at Page’s Point, Prince William Parish, South Carolina. His father, Thomas Page, sided with the Loyalists in the American rebellion. When he died in 1780, his son joined Francis Marion to fight in the irregular combat in the South Carolina countryside. As a result, the Tories burned his house at Page’s Point. In 1781, he married Hannah Timmons. After the war, William Page moved to Georgia and in 1804 purchased land on St. Simons Sound, which he named “Retreat”. In total, the Retreat Plantation exceeded 2000 acres; and on it he grew prized long-staple cotton. In 1808, he became a major in the 7th Battalion of the Glynn County Militia, a position he held for the rest of his life. (Source: Marshes of Glynn Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution)

Captain Alexander Campbell Wylly (1759? – 31 May 1833)

A Georgia Historical Commission Marker regarding Captain Wylly Road on nearby Jekyll Island explains the two Captain Wyllys:

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 (born at Belfast, Ireland), remaining loyal to the British General Provost crossed the St. Marys and marched on Savannah. After the Revolution he moved to Nassau and was made Governor of New Providence. In 1807 he returned to Georgia, lived first on Jekyll, then St. Simons. Captain Alexander Campbell Wylly was born in Belfast in 1759, moving to Savannah from there.

Captain Charles Spalding Wylly

Henrietta Stevens  (Mrs. John C.) Currie (28 February 1855 – 15 April 1937)

Eugenia Price (22 June 1916 – 28 May 1996)

World-famous for her historical novels set on the Georgia coast in the early days of white settlement, Eugenia Price was largely responsible for the national attention Christ Church has received in the ensuing years. My mother has always been a big fan of her writing. From the Lighthouse trilogy and the Georgia trilogy to the Florida trilogy and the Savannah quartet, most of her books are still in print or readily available on the coast, especially on St. Simons.

http://www.christchurchfrederica.org/about-us/21-about-us/about/74-history.html

St. Simons Island, Georgia

Hobie ™  Cats are often available for rental on East Beach, for the adventure-minded.

St. Simons Island, Georgia

National Register of Historic Places

Built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Coast Guard Station at East Beach was one of 45 authorized by President Roosevelt and one of just three still believed to be in existence. It’s one of the most architecturally interesting structures on the island. When the station was first opened in 1937, the beach front was located just a few feet from the front door. Sands have filled in the area over time and today this is the most popular beach on St. Simons.  Though it originated as a life-saving station, the Coast Guard Station took on new importance with the coming of World War II. On 8 April 1942, the German submarine U-123 sank two merchant ships off St. Simons. In all, wenty-two sailors on the SS Oklahoma and the Esso Baton Rouge lost their lives. Surviving members were brought to the station to await further orders. Several of the dead were unidentified and buried in a plot in Brunswick’s Palmetto Cemetery beneath the marker “Unknown Seamen – 1942”. They have since been identified. After years of diminishing use, the station was decommissioned in 1995. Today, it’s operated by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society as the Maritime Center.

http://www.saintsimonslighthouse.org/cg.html

St. Simons Island, Georgia

Fancy Bluff is a large network of tidal creeks and tributaries in southern Glynn County. Though it’s a bit inland, it gives the appearance of being right on the coast.

Anguilla, Georgia

This looks like a very old house to me. The place is beautifully maintained and the landscape is breathtaking. All I’ve been able to learn is that a Hazlehurst family owned Anguilla Plantation in this general vicinity. A list of Glynn County plantations posted online a few years ago noted a one-and-a-half story shingle-sided house dating to the 1840s still standing in this area. The unusually short second floor porch on this house could fit that description, and the house may have been remodeled or might not even be standing. I hope to learn more.

Glynn County, Georgia

Lula & Arthur Wright built this once-grand Folk Victorian around the turn of the last century. When surveyed for Glynn County in 2009, the house still retained a front porch with hand-carved Queen Anne posts. When I found it the other day, the porch had collapsed and the yard was overgrown. It will be a real loss, as it represents a more accomplished architecture than is usually associated with rural black communities of its day.

Brookman, Georgia

This historic congregation was founded by Reverend Jupiter Gilliard on 23 October 1891. The first deacons of the church were London Gilliard, Charles Harris, Baker Stafford, Sr., and Hector Blue. The original church building was replaced with this one in 1954, during the pastorate of Reverend Robert J. Leggett. The cornerstone displays the cipher of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall,  Grand Lodge, Free & Accepted Masons, Jurisdiction of Georgia.

Reverend Gilliard’s great-great-great grandchildren operate Gilliard Farms, a Georgia Centennial Farm on the adjacent property. It’s been in the family since 1874 and is one of the most important African-American farms in Georgia, due to its history and longevity.

Brookman, Georgia

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and the adjacent Good Shepherd Parochial School are essentially all that remain of the historic Pennick community, a settlement of the descendants of freed slaves. Like Needwood Church and School, also located in Glynn County, they represent a rare church/school complex in relatively original condition. I’m hopeful they’ll both be placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the near future.

The school was founded by Deaconess Anna Ellison Butler Alexander (1865-1947), who took very seriously the education of her community and became the first black deaconess in the Episcopal Church in 1907. In 1999, she was named a Saint of Georgia, with a feast day of 24 September.

Deaconess Alexander’s life was forever interwoven with her faith. She lived in this apartment (above right) and is buried in front of the school house. Follow this link to see a video tribute to the deaconess by people who knew her personally. It’s quite interesting.

http://goodshepherdbrunswick.georgiaepiscopal.org/?page_id=8

Pennick, Georgia

Common on all of America’s major highways from the 1930s to the 1960s, “tourist cabins” like these were the forerunners of motels and have largely disappeared from the American landscape today.

These are quite well-preserved and likely among the best examples remaining on the coast.

Darien, Georgia

Thomas Spalding picked one of the most beautiful spots on the coast when he located his mainland home, Ashantilly, on the banks of Black Island Creek. I visit friends here and photograph it often and it’s always a favorite.

Darien, Georgia

This bait shop/general store, located at the Clam Creek Fishing Pier, has a really cool sign! They can also help you charter fishing and eco-trips in the area.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jekyll-Fishing-Center/135176713199520?sk=wall

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Also known as the Old Infirmary, for its later purpose, this Shingle Style Victorian was designed by the prominent architect Frank Furness for his nephew, Walter Rogers Furness, who later became an architect himself. The younger Furness was one of the founding members of the Jekyll Island Club and wintered here for several seasons. He sold the cottage to Joseph Pulitzer in 1896 and after three moves and several subsequent owners, it served as the Jekyll Island Club Infirmary. Today, it’s home to the beloved Jekyll Books, a must-see shop for regional literature and unique gifts.

Jekyll Island Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Jekyll Island, Georgia

I’ve been sorting through some 3000 images for an upcoming book about Sapelo Island and came across these shots of the Katie Underwood at the confluence of the Duplin River and Doboy Sound.

As one who always chooses to ride on the outside upper deck of the boat to take in the scenery and the salt air, I can attest that these hard metal benches inside can be very useful when it’s raining, especially in winter.

Sapelo Island, Georgia

At 7779 feet, the Sidney Lanier Bridge has the longest span in Georgia. Reaching a height of 480 feet, it’s a replacement for the 1956 vertical-lift bridge of the same name. On 7 November 1972 the African Neptune struck the earlier bridge, resulting in ten deaths. On 3 May 1987 that bridge was again struck, this time by the Polish freighter Ziemia Bialostocka. Like Savannah’s Talmadge Bridge, the new bridge’s cable-stayed construction is more stable and allows the necessary greater height for the booming container ship traffic of the Georgia coast.

Brunswick, Georgia

This important historic house is a remnant of a lost era on the coast. It was built by the Atwood family, who operated the nearby Cedar Point Seafood Company, a local icon for many years.

It was an instant favorite and its charm is barely expressed by something as simple as a photograph. It’s part of a tight-knit neighborhood that keeps a watchful eye on it, but luckily, it’s also video-monitored just in case. I’m unable to give directions to the house, out of respect for the neighborhood and the owners. Thanks to Bill Bolin for the background information and to Quincy Roberts for bringing it to my attention.

Cedar Point, Georgia