place

Wassaw Island

1969 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)Barrier islands of Georgia (U.S. state)Georgia (U.S. state) Sea IslandsIUCN Category IVIslands of Chatham County, Georgia
Islands of Georgia (U.S. state)National Natural Landmarks in Georgia (U.S. state)National Wildlife Refuges in Georgia (U.S. state)Protected areas established in 1969Protected areas of Chatham County, GeorgiaWetlands of Georgia (U.S. state)
DSC 9425 (8091112286)
DSC 9425 (8091112286)

Wassaw Island is one of the Sea Islands. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia and is within the borders of Chatham County. The island and its surrounding marshlands are part of the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge, which has a total area of 10,053 acres (40.68 km2) of marsh, mudflats, and tidal creeks, including approximately 7 miles (11 km) of undeveloped beaches. The land mass is 76 percent salt marshes and 24 percent beaches, dunes, and maritime forest. The refuge is a part of the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex.The United States government owns most of the island, while a portion is still privately held by the island’s former owners, the Parsons family. Loggerhead sea turtles nest on the beaches in late spring and early summer, and turtlers can camp at the turtlers' cabin at the Federal Dock (refuge headquarters office), and then go to the beach at night to observe the turtles. Aside from this, the Federal Dock is usually only used when natural disasters occur on the island and assistance is necessary. The island is accessible only by chartered or private boat. Most visitors arriving by private boat anchor their boats to the north or south beaches or in Wassaw Creek, near the boat dock for the refuge headquarters office. The public is encouraged to use twenty miles (32 km) of dirt trails for hiking or bicycling.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Wassaw Island (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 31.9003 ° E -80.9822 °
placeShow on map

Address

Chatham County



Georgia, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

DSC 9425 (8091112286)
DSC 9425 (8091112286)
Share experience

Nearby Places

Skidaway Island, Georgia
Skidaway Island, Georgia

Skidaway Island is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Chatham County, Georgia, and lies on a barrier island of the same name. Located south of Savannah, Skidaway Island is known for its waterfront properties and golf courses within The Landings, one of the largest gated communities in the country. The population was 9,310 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Skidaway Island as a census-designated place (CDP). A separate area of the island hosts the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, a research institution operated by the University of Georgia. It receives scholars and researchers from several other Georgia universities as well, including Georgia Tech, Savannah State University, and the College of Coastal Georgia. Skidaway Island is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is uncertain why the name "Skidaway" was applied to this island; the name may be derived from a word in Yamacraw or another Native American Creek language. In his 1967 publication How Georgia Got Her Names, Hal E. Brinkley stated that the name might be an Anglicized form of Scenawki, the wife of the Yamacraw chief Tomochichi, for whom Georgia's founder James Oglethorpe named the island.In a March 2019 referendum, Skidaway Island voters overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would have incorporated their community as the City of Skidaway Island. The island remains unincorporated.

Hermitage Plantation (Georgia)
Hermitage Plantation (Georgia)

Hermitage Plantation was a plantation located around 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Savannah, Georgia. In existence between around 1825 and around 1934, it included Savannah's largest brickworks. The plantation's mansion was built for Scottish architect and builder Henry McAlpin and his wife, Ellen McInnis, of Charleston, South Carolina. McAlpin had purchased the plantation, then around 220 acres (89 ha) in size, from Jean Bérard de Moquet, Marquis de Montalet (who had purchased it from Patrick Mackay). It was run by 65 slaves. During Savannah's colonial period, the land, located between Musgrove Creek and Pipemaker's Creek, was owned by Yamacraw Indians. After the death of Tomochichi in 1741, the Yamacraw Indians left the area. It was claimed by the British Crown in 1750, by which time colonists were already living there. McAlpin expanded the property to cover 600 acres (240 ha) and increased its number of slaves by over one hundred. He also replaced the original plantation home with a mansion designed by William Jay. Other sources claim it was designed by Charles B. Cluskey. The mansion was located at the end of a long driveway lined on either side by oak trees. Rice was grown at the plantation, but the Hermitage was mostly an industrial site, with steam-powered saw and planing mills, a rice barrel factory. It also contained Savannah's largest brickworks, which produced more than 60 million bricks. Many of its "Savannah Grey" bricks were used to build Savannah's early homes. Union Camp Corporation later occupied the plantation site.