Nora August ivory carving
Among the treasures on display at the new Lighthouse Museum, at the center of the main exhibit room, is the ivory bust of a young African-American women. Her name is Nora August. Her story is one of enslavement and freedom; the story of her likeness is one of distant travels and a cherished return.
The Union navy occupied St. Simons Island beginning in 1862. A navy seaman met the 23-year old Nora at a contraband (refugee) camp at Retreat Plantation and carved Nora’s ivory bust in scrimshaw. The talented seaman, whose name is unknown, adorned his beautiful hand-carving with various inscriptions, including these brief words that provide a glimpse into young Nora’s life:
Nora August, slave, age 23 years. Purchased from the market, St. Augustine, Fla. April 17, 1860. Now a free woman. Carved from Life Retreat Plantation.
A second inscription reads: “Presented to the nurses of Darien the year of our Lord 1865.” From 1865 to 1920, the whereabouts of the bust are unknown. In 1979, St. Simons Island resident Henry Green, a local historian and a connoisseur of decorative arts, learned that the bust of Nora August was being sold at a New York auction house. The seller indicated that the bust had been in England since 1920. Green brought the sale to the attention of Alfred W. Jones, Sr., of Sea Island Company who purchased the bust from the seller and returned it to our coast and its place of origin.
This month’s image is a photograph of the Nora August ivory bust. The bust is on loan to the Coastal Georgia Historical Society from Sea Island Acquisition, LLC.
Our monthly images on this page are from the vast archives of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. The Society’s mission includes the “administration, restoration and maintenance of
historic facilities and resources … preserved as a living part of the historical and cultural foundations of our coastal community.” Society facilities include the St. Simons Lighthouse and
Museum, the A.W. Jones Heritage Center, and the Maritime Center (formerly the U.S. Coast Guard Station). To learn more about the Society, its diverse programs, and the benefits of
Society membership, please call (912) 638.4666, or visit www.saintsimonslighthouse.org.
