Courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society.
The Coolidges on Sapelo
Howard Coffin, the founder of Hudson Motor Company who later built The Cloister on Sea Island, acquired nearby Sapelo Island as a retreat in 1912.
During the Christmas holidays of 1928, President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, visited Howard and Matilda Coffin at their grand home on Sapelo Island arriving by special train from Washington, DC to Brunswick on December 26. Avid animal lovers, the Coolidges brought their Chow dog along on the trip. According to Coolidge, “Any man who does not like dogs and want them about does not deserve to be in the White House."
While on Sapelo, President Coolidge hunted pheasant, wild turkey and deer. Aboard Coffin’s yacht, Zapala, the Coolidges and the Coffins visited other locations along our coast including St. Simons Island, where the president attended Christ Church, and Sea Island, where he planted a commemorative live oak on the grounds of The Cloister. They also went to Cabin Bluff, the Coffin hunting preserve in Camden County. On January 2, 1929, the Coolidges returned to Washington.
Howard Coffin and President Coolidge are among the people whose relationships with coastal Georgia history are examined during the Coastal Georgia Historical Society’s 2014 Chautauqua Lecture Series: “Before the Crash, Coastal Georgia and American Icons of the 1920s.” The series of four lectures will be presented at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center each Thursday at 6pm in August. The cost for the series is $30 for Society members; $75 for non-members. Registration is required for all attendees. Call 912-634-7090 or email cherndon@saintsimonslighthouse.org.
This month’s image (left to right) shows Matilda Coffin, Howard Coffin, Grace Coolidge and Calvin Coolidge at the Coffin home on Sapelo Island during the president’s visit. Grace Coolidge, known as a fashion trendsetter, looks comfortable in a short dress with a drop waist. Matilda Coffin wears a close-fitting cloche hat, popular in the 1920s when short hair was in style. Mrs. Coolidge enjoyed filming with the 35mm movie camera pictured next to the Coolidges’ Chow.
