Eighty miles south of Savannah lies St. Simons Island, one of the most beloved seaside destinations in Georgia and home to some twenty thousand year-round residents. In Island Time, Jingle Davis and Benjamin Galland offer a fascinating history and stunning visual celebration of this coastal community.
Prehistoric people established some of North America's first permanent settlements on St. Simons, leaving three giant shell rings as evidence of their occupation. People from other diverse cultures also left their mark: Mocama and Guale Indians, Spanish friars, pirates and privateers, British soldiers and settlers, German religious refugees, and aristocratic antebellum planters. Enslaved Africans and their descendants forged the unique Gullah Geechee culture that survives today. Davis provides a comprehensive history of St. Simons, connecting its stories to broader historical moments. Timbers for Old Ironsides were hewn from St. Simons's live oaks during the Revolutionary War. Aaron Burr fled to St. Simons after killing Alexander Hamilton. Susie Baker King Taylor became the first black person to teach openly in a freedmen's school during her stay on the island. Rachel Carson spent time on St. Simons, which she wrote about in The Edge of the Sea.
The island became a popular tourist destination in the 1800s, with visitors arriving on ferries until a causeway opened in 1924. Davis describes the challenges faced by the community with modern growth and explains how St. Simons has retained the unique charm and strong sense of community that it is known for today. Featuring more than two hundred contemporary photographs, historical images, and maps, Island Time is an essential book for people interested in the Georgia coast.
JINGLE DAVIS was a retired journalist who worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for over twenty years, often covering South Georgia and the coast. She is the author of Island Time: An Illustrated History of St. Simons Island, Georgia and Island Passages: An Illustrated History of Jekyll Island, Georgia (both Georgia).
BENJAMIN GALLAND, born and raised on St. Simons Island, is a photographer and partner with the h2o Creative Group in Brunswick and the photographer for Jingle Davis’s Island Time: An Illustrated History of St. Simons Island, Georgia and Island Passages: An Illustrated History of Jekyll Island, Georgia as well as Buddy Sullivan’s Sapelo: People and Place on a Georgia Sea Island (all Georgia).
Jingle Davis (Author) JINGLE DAVIS was a retired journalist who worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for over twenty years, often covering South Georgia and the coast. She is the author of Island Time: An Illustrated History of St. Simons Island, Georgia and Island Passages: An Illustrated History of Jekyll Island, Georgia (both Georgia).
Benjamin Galland (Photographer) BENJAMIN GALLAND, born and raised on St. Simons Island, is a photographer and partner with the h2o Creative Group in Brunswick and the photographer for Jingle Davis’s Island Time: An Illustrated History of St. Simons Island, Georgia and Island Passages: An Illustrated History of Jekyll Island, Georgia as well as Buddy Sullivan’s Sapelo: People and Place on a Georgia Sea Island (all Georgia).
Chapter I Early Time (Eons Ago–1690) 1 Tomochichi 42
Chapter II British and American Time (1736–1775) 45 Planters on the Points 76
Chapter III Antebellum Time (1751–1861) 79 Susie Baker King Taylor 112
Chapter IV A Time for Civil War (1861–1872) 115 Gullah Geechee Music 140
Chapter V A Move toward Modern Time (1873–1923) 143 A St. Simons Saint 170
Chapter VI Peacetime and War (1924–1945) 173 Rachel Carson 204
Chapter VII A Time to Grow (1946–Present) 207 Root, Mouth, and Mojo 240
Chapter VIII A Time for Island Tales (Long Ago–Now) 243
Afterword 269 Bibliography 277 Index 285
What People are Saying About This
From the Publisher
"I enjoyed reading this well-researched, wonderfully written book. This will be the book on St. Simons Island history for a long time."—Jerald T. Milanich, author of Laboring in the Fields of the Lord: Spanish Missions and Southeastern Indians
"Jingle knows and loves her island. In the nearly three decades that I've known her, she—like her writing—has been honest, insightful, and true. Read this volume and see her unique vision of her home—the Georgia Sea Islands. Taste the briny air. Feel the history. Be blessed. Jingle Davis is a blessing."—Tina McElroy Ansa, DownSouth Press
"Island Time by third-generation St. Simons resident Jingle Davis is as fascinating and well written as it is useful. The author parts the Spanish-moss curtain and enlightens us with St. Simons's long, bloody, and ultimately transformative history. A must-read for anyone who has ever enjoyed the evocative beauty of St. Simons Island."—Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of Spring Fever, Summer Rental, and Savannah Breeze
