Read Our Newsletter - Saint Simons Lighthouse

NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
P A I D
BRUNSWICK, GA
31520
Permit No. 369
COASTAL GEORGIA
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
P.O. BOX 21136
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA 31522
Return Service Requested
COASTAL GEORGIA
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Staff
2014 Board of Directors
President
Past President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Special Advisor
Anne Stembler
Jonathan Raclin
Hillary Stringfellow
David Fox
Rusty Bolt
Rawson Gordon
Kay Cantrell
Nancy DeLong
Patricia Deveau
Ellen Fleming
Lewis Glenn
Susan Hartman
Ralph Jernigan
Bill Jones III
Kevin Lokey
Mike Martin
Don Myers
Cindy Rackley
Janis Rodriguez
Elizabeth Sorrells
John Tuten
Honorary Trustees
Executive Director
Sherri Jones
Curator
Mimi Rogers
Office Manager
Carla Herndon
Development/Volunteer
Coordinator
Susan Bacon
Events Manager
Ray O’Brien
Store Staff
Rosemary Ballance
Wanda Bernhardt
Priscilla Hennessey
Kathy O’Brien
Mike Peck
Gail Rivard
Public Relations Director
Leigh Ann Stroud
Events Coordinator/
Store Manager
Curt Smith
Mark See
Duke Shackelford
Theresa Spangler
Archie Watkins
Mary Burdell Don Carter Albert Fendig Albert F. Shelander
Let us hear from you!
Phone: (912) 634-7090; Fax: (912) 638-6609
Mail: P.O. Box 21136, St. Simons Island, GA 31522
Email: [email protected]
Online: Visit saintsimonslighthouse.org
Be a Fan: Follow us on Facebook
COASTAL
GEORGIA
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
WINTER 2014
VOLUME 41, NUMBER 4
A.W. Jones Heritage Center
610 Beachview Drive
St. Simons Island
Offices: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., M-F
Store: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., M-Sat
1:30 p.m. - 5 p.m., Sun
Lighthouse Museum
101 12th Street
St. Simons Island
10 a.m. - 5 p.m., M-Sat
1:30 p.m. - 5 p.m., Sun
Last climb: 4:30 p.m.
Maritime Museum at the
Historic Coast Guard Station
4201 1st Street, East Beach
St. Simons Island
10 a.m. – noon;
1 p.m. – 5 p.m., M-Sat
1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., Sun
Museum Admission Fees
$12 for Adults
$5 for Ages 6-12
Children under 6 free.
Ticket price includes
admission to all museums.
No admission charge
for CGHS members.
ACCREDITED BY THE
IN THIS ISSUE
Annual Meeting
1
New Members
2
50th Anniversary
2
Buddy Sullivan Series
3
Black History Month Tours 3
Oil House
3
Calendar of Events
3
Chautauqua on YouTube
3
Contact Us
St.Simons Light
Back Cover
Dean Norton to Speak at the Annual Meeting
George Washington’s Mount Vernon:
Legacy of an American Gardener
Award-winning
horticulturist Dean
Norton has spent his
entire career caring
for the gardens and
grounds of Mount
Vernon. At the Annual
Meeting on Sunday,
January 25, at 3 p.m.,
Norton will discuss
Washington’s reshaping
of the landscape
around his home after
the American
Revolution. Over time,
our first President
created an essentially
American garden,
DEAN NORTON
inspired by the
naturalistic style of 18th century English designers. Norton will describe the gardening world of
George Washington and reveal how Mount Vernon became one of the most accurately
restored 18th century estates in America.
Norton began working at Mount Vernon when he was sixteen years old. After earning a
Bachelor of Science degree in ornamental horticulture from Clemson University, he became
the boxwood gardener at Mount Vernon. As Director of Horticulture since 1980, Norton has
dramatically expanded the landscaped portions of the estate that are open to the public.
Ever mindful of Washington’s interest in plants and his creative plan for the estate, Norton has
applied the latest plant science and management techniques to horticulture in an historic
setting. In addition to directing a staff of 25, he manages the historic greenhouse, a nursery,
livestock operations, and 450 acres of forest and field.
He is past president of the Southern Garden History Society and has made numerous
media appearances, including NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, and A&E’s
American Castles.
The annual meeting will be held in The Cloister Ballroom on Sea Island. CGHS members
attend the meeting and lecture free of charge. The cost for non-members is $25. Preregistration is required for all attendees. Visit saintsimonslighthouse.org or call 912-634-7090
to register.
Welcome to Our New
Society Members!
2015: The Society’s
50th Year!
New Keepers of the Light
Bonnie and Mel Adler
Phillis and Max Harrell
New General Members
Throughout 2015, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society will
celebrate a half century of commitment to its founding mission.
During these five decades have come large challenges and even
larger accomplishments.
5O YEARS
It all began in 1965 when a handful of residents on St. Simons
1965-2O15
Island established the Society with an ambitious vision: to lead in
the preservation of the documents, artifacts and buildings that
are the treasures of our coast’s heritage.
When the Keeper’s Dwelling was in danger of being lost to commercial
development in the 1970s, the Society led a community initiative to preserve this
historic structure as a coastal history museum (accredited by the American Alliance
of Museums since 1991). A decade later, the Society was given the responsibility of
managing the St. Simons Lighthouse and opening it to visitors. In 2004, ownership
of the tower was officially transferred to the Society.
In 2006 the Society, having assumed stewardship of the Island’s historic Coast
Guard Station, transformed it into a maritime museum. The A.W. Jones Heritage
Center, which opened in 2008 next
to the Lighthouse, has allowed the
Society to offer a new level of
service to the community by
providing space for a library and
archives, lectures, and other
educational programs.
Over the years, through the
support of its members, the
community and area visitors, the
Society has prospered: From just 56
original members, the current
membership is now approximately
JULY 7, 1975: MUSEUM OPENS IN THE RESTORED KEEPER’S
740; an endowment of $150,000
DWELLING. SOCIETY VP ALBERT FENDIG AT THE PODIUM.
established in 1982 has grown to
$1.6 million; the Society’s archives have grown to a collection of over 15,000 artifacts
including documents, maps, photographs, paintings, rare books and historic objects.
As the Anniversary Year Unfolds...
Check upcoming newsletters for anniversary events.
Be sure to see and enjoy “SSI Archives,” the last page of Elegant Island Living,
each month during 2015. This page will feature a rare artifact from the
Society’s archives and the story behind it!
2
Brenda Baker
Stacy Cole
Fran and Skip Hilsman
Marie Comer and Cheyenne Kozaily
Chandra Kendall
Kelly Mahoney
Jerry Mooney
Mary Helen Moses
Carol and Currell Pattie
Marjorie Peters
Marsha and Rob Schmitter
Virginia Schroder
C.G. Shahmir
Craig Sullivan
Dian Thompson
Evelyn Ting
Pat and Joe Wilkinson
Honorarium
Walt and Annie McCanless
by Margaret McCanless
Memorial Gifts
David Medford
by Joseph Henson
George A. Montgomery
by Janis and Cesar Rodriguez
Ruby Lee Nicholson
by
Bernice Berlin and William Berlin
Bea Boglione
Barbara Broderick and Family
Patricia Burke
Bette and Scott Irwin
Carol Rose
Matching Gifts
Bank of America Charitable Foundation (3)
UBS
Welcome to our new
Museum Docents
Leslie Aldinger, Nina Poulakis,
Robin White
And a special thank you to all of our museum
docents, school docents and volunteers.
Give the Gift of History
A membership to the Coastal Georgia
Historical Society is a great gift that gives year
round with member benefits such as unlimited
visits to our Lighthouse and museums,
invitations to lectures, museum store discounts,
and quarterly newsletters. Please call Susan
Bacon at 912-634-7096 for more information.
Year-End Appeal Reminder
Please consider making a year-end gift in
support of more quality educational
programming! Thank you!
An Overview of Coastal
Georgia History
Calendar of Events
Local historian Buddy Sullivan will present a
six-week comprehensive overview of the history of
Georgia’s barrier islands and the adjoining mainland.
The course chronologically traces Georgia’s coastal
history from Native American culture in the region
through 20th century events, including World War II.
While covering the entire coast from Savannah to
St. Marys, the focus of the lecture series will be on
St. Simons, Jekyll and Brunswick. Sullivan has conducted this winter series for the
Coastal Georgia Historical Society since 1995.
The course meets on Tuesday afternoons, January 13 - February 17, 2015, from
4-6 p.m., at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center. The cost for CGHS members is $50
and $95 for non-members. Registration is required. Call 912-634-7090 or visit
saintsimonslighthouse.org to register.
Black History Month Tours
In celebration of Black History month, two tours led by local expert Amy Roberts
will examine the history of the African American experience on St. Simons Island.
Thursday, February 5, 10-11:30 a.m.
African American Communities: South End, Jewtown, Harrington
Thursday, February 12, 10-11:30 a.m.
African American Churches: First African Baptist, St. Paul’s Baptist,
St. Ignatius Episcopal, St. Luke’s A.M.E.
Tour groups will meet at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center at 9:45 a.m. Transportation
will depart for the tour at 10 a.m. The cost is $30 per person. Call 912-634-7090 or
visit saintsimonsligthouse.org to register.
The historic Oil House now has
an authentic look! As part of
recent restoration work, this
companion to the Lighthouse
was returned to its historic
appearance.
Built in 1890, the building
provided fire-proof storage of
the kerosene that fueled the
lighthouse oil lamps. Historical
photographs indicate the Oil
House was painted to blend in with the Tower. At some point, the exterior was
sandblasted to remove its white coating. In keeping with preservation standards,
the building has been whitewashed with a lime-based reversible coating much like
that used by lightkeepers. A hand-formed, standing seam terne metal roof was
installed and painted red. The choice of roofing and paint color was based on the
original specifications of our lighthouse, other oil houses of the period and
consultation with the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s Technical Advisor, Thomas Tag.
An Original Oil Painting
December 24-25
Christmas
Society Offices closed;
Museums and Museum Store closed.
December 31-January 5
Museums and Museum Store closed for inventory.
January 1
New Year’s Holiday
Society Offices closed;
Museums and Museum Store closed.
January 16, 30 and February 13, 27
Cannon’s Point History Tours
9:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Departing from the A.W. Jones Heritage Center
$95 per person
Pre-registration is required for all attendees.
January 13 - February 17
An Overview of Coastal Georgia History
Buddy Sullivan
Tuesdays, 4-6 p.m.
A.W. Jones Heritage Center Event Hall
$50 for CGHS members, $95 for non-members
Pre-registration is required for all attendees.
January 19
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Society Office closed; Museums and Museum Store
open regular hours.
January 25
Annual Membership Meeting
“George Washington’s Mount Vernon:
Legacy of an American Gardener”
Dean Norton
3-4 p.m. The Cloister
CGHS Members: Free; Non-members: $25
Pre-registration is required for all attendees.
February 5
Black History Month Tour
African American Communities: South End,
Jewtown, and Harrington
10-1 1:30 a.m. $30 per person
Pre-registration is required for all attendees.
February 12
Black History Month Tour
African American Churches: 1st African Baptist,
St. Paul’s Baptist, St. Ignatius Episcopal,
and St. Luke’s A.M.E.
10-1 1:30 a.m. $30 per person
Pre-registration is required for all attendees.
February 16
Presidents Day
Society Office closed; Museums and Museum Store
open regular hours.
For information on Society programs
and events, call (912) 634-7090
or visit: saintsimonslighthouse.org.
2014 Chautauqua Lectures Available for Viewing on YouTube.
Whether you missed them or want to enjoy them again, this year’s Chautauqua Lecture Series is available on YouTube.
Search for the Coastal Georgia Historical Society’s YouTube channel to view each of the four lectures.
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