Mar 20 2008
Tybee Island History
Tybee Island is approximately two miles wide by three miles long, and encompasses about five miles of beaches. It has approximately 3,500 permanent residents but it can swell to 8,000 in summer. It is part of the state of Georgia, the 13th and last of the original 13 colonies, and is about 15 miles east of Savannah.
Tybee was inhabited by Indians and, in fact, the word “Tybee” is a Euchee Indian word meaning salt. Both the French and Spanish tried to claim Tybee as their own, and even fought over it for the Sassafras roots which were considered a miracle cure. The English, however, were the winners in the fight for Tybee. When James Edward Oglethorpe founded Savannah he decided that Tybee would serve as the lookout for the Spanish, who were in Florida, and with whom the colonists were expecting a war at any time. He built a lookout tower, but it was too close to the water, and when the first big storm came, it tumbled. Leaders built a second, but it too came down. A third, built in 1773 finally was in the right place, and stones from that one still exist today in the current Lighthouse.
Not much happened on Tybee until the Civil War when Confederate troops seized nearby Fort Pulaski. Lincoln knew the importance of Pulaski and the east coast in ending the war, so he sent troops to capture the coastline and take back Pulaski. With Union troops on the move, the Confederates deserted Tybee and tried to burn the tower. The wooden parts burned, but the stones remained. With Tybee deserted, the Union forces came on and devised a plan to capture Ft. Pulaski. At night, troops built wooden platforms out into the Tybee Marsh at the northwest end in order to get the guns within firing range of Ft. Pulaski. When the platforms were out far enough, cannons were fired at the fort and a new bullet-shaped projectile hit the east wall, destroying it in 30 hours. The Confederates surrendered the fort. Tybee’s role in this important capture cannot be overstated.
After the war, Tybee was rather quiet until the late 1800’s when D.G. Purse decided that it would make a great resort on the east coast. He petitioned the railroad to build a track from Savannah to Tybee and Tybee became THE place to go for Savannahians. At one time there were four hotels, 1,800 bath houses, three pavilions, and big band dances every Saturday night featuring such names as Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, and Duke Ellington. Three Miss Georgia pageants were held on Tybee, and Tybee became known as Ocean City and later, Savannah Beach (the name was changed back to Tybee in the 40’s). A road from Savannah to Tybee was built in 1923 and with the influx of auto travel, the train stopped running (1933). Rich tourists began buying property and building cottages and fishing camps for their vacations. Those cottages were made of heart pine, a dense wood that termites dislike; had shallow-hipped roofs that were vented to let out heat; had deep, surround porches to provide shade; and were built up off the ground to allow air to circulate underneath for cooling and rot control. Some of these cottages still exist and Tybee is the only place on the east coast where this type of architecture can be found.
About the same time, a new fort was built on Tybee called Ft. Screven, named after Benjamin Screven a hero of the Revolutionary War. The fort covered some 600 acres, and served as a modern military defense for the United States. The fort was closed in 1945 and basically deserted until a few years ago when preservationists began restoring some of its batteries. Tourists can now view some of the fort’s buildings and the Tybee Museum is housed in Battery Garland, the former gun battery and magazine for a 12 inch long range gun. Rooms which once stored 600 pound projectiles and 200 pound bags of gun powder now hold the collections and exhibits of over 400 years of Tybee history.
With the development of Florida and other east coast properties, Tybee lost some of its importance in the resort world, and it became a sleepy, low-key island once again. But as people began wanting property on the water, and that property became harder and harder to find, Tybee was re-discovered. Her discovery was boosted by John Berendt’s book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil about Savannah, and when the movie by the same name came out, people began flocking to the area. Tybee property is now at a premium and many come here for the clean beaches, nature trails and things to do.
Soon Tybee Vacation Rentals will offer a bike, walking and driving tour of Tybee by download to an I-Pod or DVD for an automobile. TVR also has a guide that will give private tours. Call 912.786.5852 for information.
