Accessible by F.J. Torras causeway, “The Island” as locals refer to it, is approximately four miles from the mainland of Glynn County and has a diverse history dating back to the Creek Indian tribes, long before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s and established at least two Franciscan missions. To prevent the Spanish reclaiming the land, James Oglethorpe established a fortified military outpost consisting of a fort and town on a bend in the Frederica River in 1736. Oglethorpe’s foresight in establishing Frederica Town (named for the Prince of Wales, Frederick Louis) was rewarded when Spanish forces from Florida and Cuba landed in an attempt to retake St. Simons Island.

Today, St. Simons Island is a place to visit not only for its diverse history and historic landmarks, but for the beauty of its moss-draped oak trees and resurrection ferns, art galleries, shopping, fine restaurants, incomparable golf courses and unique tourist attractions. The heart of the island is Pier Village which offers numerous restaurants, speciality shops, a children’s playground and has long been the focal point for social and recreational activity. The Fishing Pier invites you to take a stroll, enjoy gentle sea breezes, watch pelicans diving for dinner, spot the dolphins in the ocean and fish for free!


LANDMARKS

FORT FREDERICA
General James Oglethorpe, supported by colonists from England, Scotland and the Germanic states, established Fort Frederica in 1736 to protect the southern boundary of the fledgling British colony of Georgia, formally the epicenter of an imperial conflict between Spain and Britain.

The fort, designed in the traditional European pattern of the period, consisted of a square structure with three diamond-shaped bastions and a projecting spur battery, two storehouses, a guardhouse and a stockade. The entire structure was surrounded by earthen walls and ten-foot high cedar posts. After successfully defending the area against Spanish invasion, Oglethorpe’s garrison and the colony of Frederica enjoyed a relative measure of prosperity until the peace treaty of 1748 between Spain and Britain. No longer needed to guard against Spanish attack, the garrison with withdrawn and disbanded. Little was left of Frederica after a fire reduced it to a charred ruin in 1758 until local residents took a lead in preserving the site as a reminder of America’s colonial past and, in 1945, Fort Frederica National Monument was established.

Archaeological excavations have uncovered Frederica’s past and allow its story to be told through historical interpreters who recreate the lives of townspeople and the military in what is now Fort Frederica National Park. The Visitors Center offers a brochure containing a self-guided tour of the remains of homes and businesses of the former town, which can be explored as you walk towards the Frederica River and the magazine, one of the few remaining military structures on the property. For more information call 912 638 3639

ST. SIMONS LIGHTHOUSE
In April 1807 James Gould, newly arrived from England, answered a notice in the Savannah Advertiser for a builder to erect a lighthouse on the southern end of the island. He was awarded the contract and completed the original 75 foot tower in 1810. With his beloved lighthouse completed, Gould was out of a job until being officially appointed Keeper of the Light by President Madison and served as keeper for twenty-seven years. When Confederate troops left the island in 1862, they dynamited the tower and the keeper’s cottage to prevent them befitting the Union forces. The impressive Victorian duplex and 104 foot tower we see on St. Simons Island today were completed in 1872 from plans drawn up by noted Georgia architect, Charles B. Cluskey, unfortunately, Cluskey did not live to see his lighthouse completed, he died of yellow fever in 1871. Frederick Osborne was appointed first head keeper of the new lighthouse and remained as head keeper until one fateful Sunday morning in March 1880 when, during an altercation with his assistant, Osborne was shot dead on the lighthouse grounds. The assistant was later acquitted of murder charges which, in the opinion of a later keeper who described repeatedly hearing mysterious footfalls, may have prevented a peaceful rest for the departed Osborne. To this day, people still claim to hear unexplained footsteps in the tower! The keeper’s dwelling was vacant for several years until it was deeded to Glynn County in 1972 and, after three years of restorative work, opened to the public as a museum and visitor’s center. The tower was opened in 1984 to climbers willing to brave the 129-step spiral staircase. The beautiful two-story brick lighthouse keeper’s dwelling house and the 104 foot white tower are open Monday through Saturday, 10-00am/5-00pm and Sunday 1-30pm/5-00pm.

CHRIST CHURCH
Christ Church is the 3rd oldest church in Georgia and the 2nd oldest Episcopal church in Georgia, services are held every Sunday and are open to the public The first church structure on the site of this treasured island landmark was built in 1820, on the site where John and Charles Wesley preached to the settlers of Frederica, but was partially destroyed by occupying Union troops during the Civil War. In 1884 Anson Phelps Dodge, built the present day beautiful structure with its trussed Gothic roof and steeple in memory of his wife, Ellen. The church is constructed of wood in the cruciform design, surrounded by huge moss-draped oak trees in a very peaceful setting. Behind the church are the tombstones of early settlers to the island, James Gould and, nearby, the gravesite of author Eugenia Price.
For more information call 912 638 8683

EPWORTH BY THE SEA
A Christian Conference and Retreat Center, owned by the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, the retreat is named for the boyhood home of the founders of the Methodism, John & Charles Wesley. In 1748 John Wesley tenderly recalled his home in Epworth, England, by writing in his journal “I rode to Epworth, which I still love beyond most places in the world.” Epworth by the Sea, on the banks of the Frederica River and the famous Marshes of Glynn, offers a wide variety of accommodations and facilities for guests attending retreats and conferences as well as individuals on vacation.

LOVELY LANE CHAPEL at EPWORTH BY THE SEA
The oldest standing church building on St. Simons Island, the Chapel is open to the public for Sunday Worship Service and is available for weddings. For more information call 912 638 8688

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