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Eugenia Price at her desk
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Price Typewriter
“I long to depart this earth banging away on my old manual typewriter.”
These words are from the late Eugenia Price. And the actual typewriter to which she refers is among the fascinating items and historical artifacts on display within the new St. Simons Lighthouse Museum, which re-opened in May welcoming visitors to explore centuries of coastal Georgia history.
The famed author’s “banging away” produced the captivating manuscripts that would become her novels, founded on St. Simons history and beloved by millions of readers.
Born in 1916, Price’s early professional career was spent in Chicago where she wrote and produced radio and TV programs. By the early 1960s, she had published several devotional and inspirational books and was in demand as a lecturer all over the U.S. She visited St. Simons Island for the first time in 1961 when returning home from a book signing in Florida – a visit that completely changed the direction of her writing. She became fascinated by the history and people of coastal Georgia (moving to St. Simons in 1965) and immersed herself in researching and writing historical novels about real people who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. Her St. Simons Trilogy, based on the lives of our Island’s Gould and Dodge families, includes the books The Beloved Invader (1965), New Moon Rising (1969) and Lighthouse (1972). Price later wrote the Savannah Quartet and the Georgia Trilogy, inspired by historical events and people of Georgia.
Eugenia Price died on St. Simons Island in 1996, and is buried at Christ Church near the graves of many of the characters from her novels. She is remembered for her passion for the preservation of the natural and cultural resources of her coastal home. More than 40 million copies of her books have been sold, and many of her novels appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List.
This month’s image shows Eugenia Price at the desk where she wrote in her St. Simons home. Her manual typewriter can be seen at far left.
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.