Historic sites tell the story of the Civil War in Brunswick and The Golden Isles

Unlike much of the rest of Georgia and the Deep South, Georgia’s coastal areas for the most part escaped the major battles and devastation of the American Civil War. There are, however, many sites and attractions throughout Brunswick and The Golden Isles that help tell the story of some of the people, places and issues that led to the conflict, and subsequent efforts to commemorate and retell the story of the war between the states.

BRUNSWICK

Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation. Exhibits, tours and an orientation film tell the story of this former rice plantation and the people who lived and worked there. Located north of Brunswick on US Highway 17. (912) 264-7333 or www.gastateparks.org/info/hofwyl.

Needwood Baptist Church. Organized in 1866 on Broadfield Plantation as Broadfield Baptist Church. Historical marker located one mile south of Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation on US Highway 17.

Confederate Memorial.

Postcard, circa 1910, showing the Confederate Memorial.

Maria Morris Madden, whose first husband was killed at the Battle of Sharpsburg, organized the Memorial Association of Brunswick in the late 1800s, and became the groups’ president. She and her group raised money through organizational dues, and offered “entertainments” in the community to erect a monument to Confederate soldiers. Robert E. Lee’s daughter also contributed money towards the building and installation of the monument, which was dedicated on April 26, 1902, at Hanover Square in downtown Brunswick.

ST SIMONS ISLAND 

Christ Church Frederica. The church cemetery contains the graves of the King family of Retreat Plantation. Henry Lord Page King was killed at Fredericksburg and brought home to Georgia by his servant, Neptune Small. Located approx. 1/2 mile west of the Frederica Road roundabout. Church yard open during daylight hours.

Neptune Park.
Born as a slave on Thomas Butler King's Retreat Plantation (today the site of Sea Island Golf Course), Neptune Small was raised in the plantation society of antebellum Georgia. He accompanied his master's son, Henry Lord Page King, to the Battle of Fredericksburg. After Lord was killed in battle, Neptune brought the body back to Georgia for burial. He then returned to Virginia's battlefields with Lord's brother, Cuyler.

After Emancipation, Small worked for the King family as a free man until his death in 1907, when he was buried in a small graveyard on Retreat Plantation. His former home, located on the beachfront of the former plantation, is today part of a popular waterfront park named in his honor. (Historical marker)

Original St. Simons
Lighthouse, built 1807.

St. Simons Lighthouse and Lighthouse Museum.
The original lighthouse, built in 1807, was destroyed by retreating CSA troops in advance of the arrival of Federal troops. Also the site of Fort Brown, where CSA troops and field guns were deployed to protect St. Simons Sound. 620 Beachview Dr. (912) 638-4666 or www.saintsimonslighthouse.org.

Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum.
Exhibits discuss plantation life on St. Simons Island. Located at Epworth by The Sea. (912) 638-4050 or www.mooremethodistmuseum.org

Mildred Huie Museum at Mediterranean House.
Exhibits on plantation life on St. Simons Island including scale models and paintings of plantation houses. 1819 Frederica Road. (912) 638-3057.

Hampton Plantation.
Owned by Pierce Butler, it was the subject of a book published in 1863, “Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation,” written by Butler’s wife, English actress Fanny Kemble. The book detailed many of the cruelties of slavery and strengthened abolitionist sentiment here and abroad. Some tabby ruins from Hampton Plantation can be seen along the drive to Hampton Point, just before the marina.

Former slave cabins at Gascoigne
Bluff, St. Simons Island

Gascoigne Bluff. Two slave cabins, once part of Hamilton Plantation, have been preserved by the Cassina Garden Club are open on a limited basis for tours. Located on Arthur J. Moore Drive south of Epworth by the Sea.

A Civil War Diary: A Historical Walking Tour of St. Simons Island.
During this tour led by fictional character Robert Morris, a Union hospital orderly who has returned to St. Simons Island, you’ll hear the stories of the Georgia 26th Infantry Regiment, of Neptune Small and of life on the coastal plantations. (912) 268-2016.

JEKYLL ISLAND

Confederate Battery.
In 1861, Confederate battery positions were established on Jekyll Island. In February 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee requested permission from Gov. Joseph E. Brown to dismantle the stronghold as “the inhabitants of the island and Brunswick have removed themselves and property” to inland points. Historical marker is located on Riverview Drive at the south end of the Jekyll Island Airport.

“Glory” Beach.
Scenes from the movie, “Glory” were filmed on the beach at Jekyll Island. The 1989 film told the story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first black regiment recruited in the north. Glory Beach can be accessed via the beach crossover at the Jekyll Island Soccer Complex on Beachview Drive.

Wanderer Memorial,
Jekyll Island

Wanderer Memorial.
Sculpture and information panels commemorate the 1858 arrival on Jekyll Island of the slave ship, Wanderer. Located at St. Andrews picnic area at south end of Beachview Drive. Area open daily, dawn to dusk.

RELATED BOOKS AND REFERENCES

Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune: The Letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw.
Shaw was commander of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first black regiment recruited in the north. Known as the “Glory Brigade,” the 54th was stationed for a time on St. Simons Island in 1863.

Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation.
Published in 1863 by English actress Fanny Kemble, who recounts her time at Hamilton Plantation on St. Simons Island. Kemble’s descriptions the horrifying treatment of slaves is credited with doing much toward maintaining British neutrality during the war, when for economic reasons many favored the South—which produced cotton for British textile mills.

The Children of Pride: A True Story of Georgia and the Civil War.
This collection of more than 1,200 letters of the Charles Colcock Jones family of Liberty County examines the war and its impact upon these coastal Georgia planters.

ONLINE

The Brunswick Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau has offers a variety of online information about Brunswick, St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. Please visit our web site at www.ComeCoastAwhile.com.

The Georgia Dept. of Economic Development Tourism Division has created an online site that lists Civil War-related sites, events and activities throughout the state. It can be found at www.GaCivilWar.org. The Tourism Division also has published “Georgia’s Map Guide to the Civil War,” which provides information and GPS coordinates for 78 Civil War sites. It is available at state visitor centers and online at www.GaCivilWar.org

The New Georgia Encyclopedia is a great source of historical information about historic people, places and things and provides many additional references. It can be found onlne at www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

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These highlights are by no means intended to fully represent the complete scope of Civil War history in Brunswick and The Golden Isles of Georgia. If you have additional information regarding our area’s Civil War heritage, please call the Convention and Visitors Bureau at (912) 265-0620 or send an email to psaylor@ComeCoastAwhile.com


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