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In the last couple of days a great deal of seaweed has piled up on the beach here on St Simons Island. It’s Sargasso Seaweed and it comes from the Sargasso Sea, the western side is the Gulf Stream. When we have an extended period of east winds and swell, the seaweed is sent our way. This is a typical time of the year for the arrival of beds of Sargasso.
The Sargasso Seaweed is wonderful and is a floating city when out on the water. It is a city for a variety of marine life and sea turtles. Most of the fish have enough sense to swim out to more of it as the seaweed hits the breakers. Some of the little creatures cling on for dear life and end up on the beach where, to the delight of the shore birds, they pick thru it and eat the little shrimp and crabs that didn’t bail out in time. The Seaweed then becomes a great natural way to keep the beach in place as it sinks down into the sand and helps to hold the beach in place. Sweeping it up to please the beach goers in the long run may have the beach goers crying “where is the beach” as the beach slowly erodes away. This seaweed has piled up on these beaches for hundreds, even thousands of years and helps to renourish the fragile beach ecosystem. The creatures that live in the Sargasso are very unique and have adapted well to their floating city. Most of them are the same orange color of the seaweed itself.
By Andrea Marroquin, Jekyll Island Programming Coordinator
A night-time excursion of Jekyll Island ventures inside Dubignon Cottage for spine-tingling tales!
Sheila Zynda, of Darien, GA, took Jekyll Island’s Folklore, Rumor & Myth tour last October and was enthusiastic. “I think Jekyll Island is a fantastic place to come for ghost hunting,” she said. “Besides the history, you might get to see something that you’re not expecting. “
Island visitors and staff alike have reported seeing unexplained orbs of light, smelling perfumes and cigars, hearing voices and laughter and Victrola music, experiencing cold spots, and sometimes even seeing spirits wearing period dress inside the shuttered buildings of the historic district.
In Zynda’s tour group, one woman captured an orb on her cell phone, while Zynda herself reported feeling a cold spot following her through a portion of the tour of Dubignon Cottage. Others saw flickering lights in the empty buildings as the tour moved through the twilight under the moss-draped live oaks.
“It’s an experience that you might only get once in your lifetime,” Akins said with an enjoyable shiver.
These phenomena are by no means new. Apparitions have been reported for many years throughout Jekyll Island’s 240-acre National Historic Landmark District. Nearly every cottage has some deep mystery or restless soul associated with a grand love story, an untimely death, a great misadventure, or a little mischief.
Tour guides lean on their professional knowledge of the island’s past to interpret the supernatural happenings. The Folklore, Rumor & Myth tour is peppered with stories of Jekyll Island’s historic characters in attempts to explain the reported sightings.
Guides note that different individuals have identified several spirits that have been encountered through comparisons with historical photographs. Those that have been identified include William and Savannah Struthers, Eddie Gould, Jr., and Walter Jennings, as well as Peggy and Marian Maurice. Others appear but remain nameless.
As the haunting mysteries multiplied over the years, Jekyll Island Museum staff began to collect the tales. Annually, during the month of October, they share the unusual stories they have heard. On the Folklore, Rumor and Myth Tour, guides usher guests to spots where apparitions have been sighted and unexplained events have occurred. Guests are then led inside one of the historic district cottages for more spine-tingling stories as darkness falls.
Wes Gruenke, a museum guide, often brings his groups inside Dubignon Cottage, calling it “the most paranormally active house we’ve got.” He notes that the Southern plantation home is the oldest house on the island, after Horton House.
To view a YouTube video preview of the tour, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/JekyllIslandMuseum .
The Folklore, Rumor & Myth Tour departs from the Jekyll Island Museum at 100 Stable Road on Friday nights, from October 2-31, 2009 at 7:00 pm. Admission is $16.00 for Adults and $7.00 for Children 6-12. The tour is recommended for ages 10 and above. Reservations are requested. For more information or for reservations, call 912-635-4036.
by Katie Brown
I’d like you to go with me to the Swamp. Yes, you heard right…the swamp!!! Just a short drive from the Golden Isles of Georgia lies the “Land of the Trembling Earth,” or what most of the locals refer to as Okefenokee…..bet you can’t say that 3 times!!!
Okefenokee Swamp Park is the headwaters of the Suwanee and St. Mary’s Rivers. This National Wildlife Refuge covers a half million acres, and is also part of the National Wilderness System! This is the largest swamp in North America.
The Seminole Indians named Okefenokee the “Land of the Trembling Earth.” The Seminoles had miles and miles of canoe trails leading all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Today visitors to the park can board the Lady Suwanee, rent canoes, enjoy nature shows, and take a guided bout tour into the swamp. I highly recommend all of these!!!
While visiting the Okefenokee I saw several American Alligators. In this park the Alligators are free range, so be careful where you park! We saw 2 alligators sun bathing in the parking lot! These are photos of some of the American Alligators in one of the nature exhibits. The park is also home to deer, bears, otters, snakes, butterflies, turtles, frogs, fish, and birds. You couldn’t pay me to cross that bridge!
My next adventure in the swamp was to boarded the Lady Suwanee for a 1.5 mile train ride through the swamp and tour of Pioneer Island. The Lady Suwanee is a 36 gauge replica steam engine. The train ride was fun, and enjoyable for all ages!! 
After the tour on the Lady Suwanee I took in one of the interactive nature shows, and was able to pet a baby alligator. They also had several snakes on hand, but I declined on petting those….
My next adventure was my favorite while at the swamp. We went on a 1 hour guided boat ride through the swamp, and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Okefenokee Swamp Park is located 8 miles south of Waycross, Georgia off U.S. 1 South on Highway 177. Look for our billboards in Waycross, GA.
From I-95: (Exit 29) In Brunswick, GA take Highway 82 West Exit 6 (Mile Marker 29) Go approx. 45 miles and take Hwy 177
For the first time since WWII, the St. Simons Island Lighthouse light will be turned off to accommodate extensive restoration and repairs. On Sunday night, September 27, from 6:30-8:30, come out and celebrate The Big Turn Off with entertainment from Mason Waters Band, Master of Ceremonies, Joe Willie Sousa and free refreshments. This is a FREE family event and is history in motion. Come see, learn and touch our beloved lighthouse. The Lighthouse is maintained exclusively by private funds and is not a state funded facility. The Coastal Georgia Historical Society staffs and maintains The St Simons Lighthouse, A.W. Jones Heritage Center & The Maritime Center at The Historic Coast Guard Station
Please note the following traffic changes and road closures during the Shrimp & Grits Festival Weekend, September 18-20.
FRIDAY – All parking will be in the Historic District
SATURDAY& SUNDAY – All General Parking will be at the parking lots just north and south of the Convention Center.
Guests will be transported from parking lots near the Convention Center to the Festival via free busses provided by Coastal Georgia Charters and Tours. The shuttle drop off will be in front of the History Center. Guests can cross at over at Pier Road. Shuttle will run approximately every 10 minutes.
Shuttle Hours: Saturday – 9:30 AM – 10:00 PM. Sunday – 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM. These hours equate to 30 minutes before the festival opens and an hour after the festival closes.
Parking and Traffic Direction will be provided by Allegiance Security Group. We ask that guests follow their direction.
Exceptions:
a. VIP Guests – VIP Guests are those who have purchased a VIP Package. The VIP parking lot will be located off of Old Plantation Rd across from Jekyll Island Bookstore. Guests must purchase VIP packages in advance.
b. Handicap Parking – Handicap Parking will be in the Historic District in the Parking Lot near the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, must show a handicap parking pass.
c. Staff – Staff and Volunteers will utilize the same parking lots as the VIP guest. Parking lots will be located off of Old Plantation Rd across from Jekyll Island Bookstore.
Road Closings:
Shell Road will be closed on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20.
Old Plantation Road in front of the Jekyll Island Bookstore – Saturday, September 18 – Sunday, September 20.
The parking lot behind Morgan Tennis Center – Friday, September 18 – Sunday, September 20.
Riverview Rd leading to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel will be closed to through traffic September 18th – 20th.
Perhaps the most beautiful and recognizable landmark on the Georgia coast is the St. Simons Lighthouse, a much-visited, photographed, and beloved monument to the island’s nautical history. On a clear day, the climb of 129 steps to the top of the 104-foot gleaming white tower allows perhaps the most glorious view to be experienced on the Georgia coast. The keeper’s cottage, where the museum is located, is believed to be the oldest brick structure in Glynn County. It was built of Savannah grey brick with Georgia heart pine floors in 1872, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is furnished with antiques that belonged to the old families of St. Simons, including one early nineteenth century secretary from Retreat Plantation.
The first structure built in the area of the lighthouse was Delegal’s Fort, built in spring of 1936 by troops from South Carolina. It was replaced in 1738 by Fort St. Simons, which was destroyed by retreating Spanish troops after their defeat in 
the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742. The area became a plantation owned by John Couper, who sold 4 acres for $1 to the Federal government for the construction of a lighthouse. In 1807, James Gould of Massachusetts was hired to build the first lighthouse. Although the original specifications called for brick, Gould used tabby, a cheap, durable “coastal concrete” made of equal parts oyster shells, lime, sand, and water. He built a 75-foot octagonal tower, 25 feet in diameter at the base tapering to 10 feet at the top. The top 12.5 feet were constructed of brick, and supported a 10-foot-high, 8-foot-diameter iron lantern equipped with oil lamps suspended by chains. An 8-foot-thick base supported the weight of the structure. In 1810, Gould was appointed first keeper by President James Madison, and was paid $400 a year until his retirement in 1837. The lantern was originally powered by whale oil, but when the majestic animals were hunted to near extinction, lighthouses switched to kerosene. St. Simons Island author Eugenia Price wrote a historical novel about Gould’s efforts, titled simply The Lighthouse, which was the second installment in her trilogy about St. Simons Island.
In 1857, the lights of the lighthouse were greatly improved when it was fitted with a third-order, double-convex lens, which can cast a beam 18 miles. This improvement was to be short-lived, however, because of the arrival of the Civil War in 1860. Stationed at Fort Brown, a wooden bastion near the lighthouse to protect St. Simons Sound, were the Macon artillery troops and six field guns. In 1862, when Union warships blockaded the Georgia coast, the Confederates decided to abandon St. Simons, and before leaving, they dynamited the lighthouse and burned Fort Brown so they would not aid their enemy. The ruins of this first lighthouse are found on the complex grounds east of the tower.
After the Civil War, the Federal government decided a new lighthouse was needed on St. Simons Island. Hired to design and build the lighthouse and keeper’s house was noted Irish-born architect Charles Cluskey. He designed a graceful, 104-foot, round tower and a nine-room, two-story Victorian house for the keeper. The architectural details not only enhance the beauty of the house but also draw the eye upward to the lighthouse. Cluskey died of malaria a year before he was able to see his work finished in 1872. In 1876, the keeper’s house was upgraded and a speaker’s tube linking the house with the top of the tower was added. A fire-proof brick oil house measuring 9 feet by 11 feet that could hold 450, 5-gallon oil cans was constructed next to the lighthouse in 1890. This building’s purpose became obsolete when the kerosene lamp was replaced by an electrical one in 1934. When the last lighthouse keeper retired in the 1950s, the U.S. Coast Guard fully automated the lighthouse. Today, the Fresnel lens is illuminated by a 1,000-watt mogul lamp, which rotates once a minute.
In 1972, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society took over the unused keeper’s house, restored it to its original design, and opened it to the public. A series of renovation and restoration activities continued on the tower and complex until 1984, when visitors were allowed to climb to the top of the lighthouse.
Today, the romantic lure of the lighthouse is irresistible on a foggy night, as the light sweeps slowly out into the night, comforting sailors in the sound and reassuring residents in the community that part of their heritage remains intact for future generations to appreciate.
Directions: From Brunswick, cross F.J. Torras Causeway. Go right on Kings Way to Ocean Boulevard. At Mallery Street, continue to 12th Street. Turn right and proceed to lighthouse and museum.
Dates: Open Monday through Saturday 10–5, Sunday 1:30–5. Closed selected holidays.
Facilities: Lighthouse and museum, gift shop.
Fees: A small fee is charged for admission.
For more information: Coastal Georgia Historical Society, 101 12th Street, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Phone (912) 638-4666. Museum of Coastal History, PO Box 21136, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Visit saintsimonslighthouse.com.
Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival on Jekyll Island celebrates coastal cooking and southern hospitality. Since its inaugural year in 2006, the event has brought attention and public awareness to the unique sweet taste of Wild Georgia Shrimp. One of the primary purposes of Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival, is to bolster an affinity for Wild Georgia Shrimp. Highlights of the festival include, the amateur and professional cooking competitions, shrimp boat excursions, shrimp eating contests, cookbook signings, cooking demonstrations and much more. The festival is completed with live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, and a kids’ fun zone!
Festival Grounds Times
Friday, September 18 – 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 19 – 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday , September 20 – 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Enjoy $3 samples of Shrimp & Grits form each of the vendors on Friday.
by Alice Barlow
The Coastal Symphony of Georgia Presents: Serenata!
Saturday Night
Labor Day Weekend
7:00pm at Neptune Park
Join Us Saturday night in the St. Simons Island Village – on the lawn in front of the Casino in Neptune Park – for a full orchestra performance. Bring friends, beach chairs, and a picnic basket. The full orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Vernon Humbert will perform a FREE concert for the community. This wonderful event is a gift of sharing – there is no charge to attend !!
A Sampling of Concert Highlights:
- Sousa’s: The Washington Post March (under the direction of guest conductor Dennie McCrary )
- Gould’s: An American Salute
- Duke Ellington’s: Medley for Orchestra
- Tchaikovski’s: 1812 Overture
- And a Tribute to John Williams
* In the event of rain – this outdoor concert will be canceled.
Hodnett Cooper Real Estate recently announced that Bobbi Jernigan joined the company and will be serving the community from the mainland office. With twenty-six years of experience in the real estate industry, Bobbi has garnered business development and retention, sales, marketing, management and training skills that are invaluable to Hodnett Cooper Real Estate.
When Bobbi entered the real estate industry in 1983 interest rates sat at an intimidating eighteen percent which effectively formed Bobbi’s superior customer service business model. From the start of her career Bobbi believed that if she put her clients interests first, finding the perfect home was inevitable. Bobbi excelled in handling general brokerage and on-site sales; consistently ranking in the top ten agents with Buckhead Brokers. Earning a Phoenix Award in 1994 for ten consecutive years as a million dollar producer launched Bobbi to the Senior Vice President and Director of New Homes position at Jenny Pruitt and Associates. After enjoying great success for many years, Bobbi and her husband relocated to St. Simons Island.
The Jernigans, Atlanta natives, have not looked back since; they love the coast and do not miss the trappings of fast paced city life. Bobbi retired from the real estate industry for a few years to delve into island life; she has a plot at the community garden by the airport, is a member of the praise band at St. Simons United Methodist Church and is an avid tennis player. Bobbi enjoys spending time with her husband and getting involved in the community, but missed playing a role in helping individuals real estate dreams come to fruition. Joining the Hodnett Cooper Real Estate team, Bobbi looks forward to the amazing rewards of matching individual preferences with properties.
Hodnett Cooper currently employs more than 50 real estate professionals and services 800+ exclusive listing contracts. The rental divisions of Hodnett Cooper manage more than 600 vacation and residential rental residences in St. Simons Island and Brunswick Georgia. For more information, please visit www.hodnettcooper.com or call toll free at 888-HODNETT.
