Photo courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Ninety-two years ago, on August 25, 1927, a brave young aviator named Paul Redfern took off in his Stinson-Detroiter monoplane Port of Brunswick from Sea Island beach in an attempt to fly non-stop to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was never seen again.
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Photo courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
As the Island’s busy season begins and many tourists arrive to discover the magic of the Golden Isles for the first time, we look back on one of our favorite author’s accounts of her memorable first visit. Read more
Courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Before email, Instagram, and Snapchat, postcards were a popular means of communication during summer vacations. Postcards from the Golden Isles reveal scenes from the past and take us to a moment in time when the writer shared their experiences. Read more
Johnson Pictures Inc.
The Coastal Georgia Historical Society's newly opened World War II Home Front Museum recounts how our quiet coastal region was transformed when our country went to war and brings to life the extraordinary contributions made by Coastal Georgia. Read more
Learn more about Susie Baker King Taylor, a woman born into slavery, who later became the first black teacher for freed African American students to work in an openly operating Freedmen's school in Georgia. Read more
Image courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
This January marks the 76th anniversary of a significant World War II event in local history. On January 25, 1943, Naval Air Station Glynco was commissioned as one of five airship bases strategically located between Massachusetts and Florida. Read more
Provided courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society.
In the mid to late 1930s, The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort operated as a Beach and Yacht Club. In addition to beach access, amenities included a spacious clubhouse, an oyster bar with pecky cypress paneling, and the outdoor Bamboo Garden. Read more
During World War II, official U.S. Navy photographers acted as the "eyes" of the military. Their photos documenting some of the training and personnel at Naval Air Station, St. Simons, help us understand what it was like to be stationed here then. Read more
As we head into the most active months of the hurricane season, we cast our minds back to the early 19th century when a major storm devastated our coast and disgraced Vice President Aaron Burr came to St. Simons to seek refuge from his own storm. Read more
Photo courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Starting in 1916, pioneer filmmaker Richard E. Norman travelled to as many as forty towns in the Midwest and South to shoot the film "The Wrecker," using train wreck footage and the same screenplay in each location. Brunswick was among those cities. Read more
Photo provided by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society.
The J.A. Jones Shipyard of Brunswick, was one of 18 shipyards throughout the U.S. to produce Liberty ships during World War II.The Liberty ships are credited with providing a vital lifeline of food and war material to the Allies’ global war effort. Read more
Courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Hurricane Dora ripped across St. Simons Island and around the Georgia coast in September 50 years ago. President Lyndon Johnson followed in her wake, and the still-standing "Johnson Rocks" were installed. Read more
Image courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Light keeper C.O. Svendsen, his wife Annie, and their three children spent many Christmases at the St. Simons Lighthouse between 1907 and 1935. Here are some of the recollections of those holidays on the island. Read more
Photo courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society.
Carl Olaf Svendsen, Jr. resided at The Keeper's Dwelling at the base of the lighthouse throughout his childhood and collected artifacts of the island's history while roaming and exploring the sparsely populated areas of the island. Read more
Coastal Georgia Historical Society
While there are many hundreds of operating lighthouses along sea and lake shores in the U.S., only 85 cast and concentrate their beams through a Fresnel lens, one of them is our own St. Simons Lighthouse. Read more
From the archives of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society.
An interest in family history led the late Dr. John Speir Josey, a St. Simons resident and ophthalmologist who practiced medicine locally from 1962-1998, into the world of historical maps. Read more
For over a century, present-day Sea Island was known as Long Island. It was here amid the undeveloped coastal woodlands of Long Island that Camp Fendig, a summer camp for Boy Scouts, operated in the 1920s and 1930s. Read more
Benjamin Galland, h2o creative group
Learn about the Harrington School, its historic significance in and impact on this community, and the efforts that were taken to save it. On February 4, celebrate this important part of the island's past. Read more
