Another Island Adventure

A couple of days ago, somebody asked me what I liked best (my favorite word) about our recent “cruise” journey down the inland waterway from Charleston to Jacksonville.  Tough question, but I think maybe today’s subject was at least the most interesting (with the Gullah tour running a close second).  As part of our Savannah leg there was a tour of Sapelo Island, one of the myriad of the Georgia “Sea Islands”.  

Sapelo Island is speculated to be the site of San Miguel de Gualdape, the short-lived (1526–1527) first European settlement in the present-day United States and, if true, it would also be the first place in the present-day U.S. that a Catholic mass was celebrated.  During the 17th century Sapelo Island was part of the Guale missionary province of Spanish Florida.  After 1680, several missions were merged and relocated to the island under the mission Santa Catalina de Guale. Like many of the other such islands, it was settled mostly by “Gullah – Geeche” heritage enslaved African Americans.   

Today, it is sort of an Island that time forgot, with only 50 some permanent residents, and is only accessible by boat or aircraft.  It has a University of Georgia Marine Institute, which is a nearshore ecological and geological research institute, and also is home to the R. J. Reynolds mansion which now operates as a bed and breakfast.   It also is home to the “Plain Chachalaca” a rather unattractive bird (with an even more unattractive call) of the tropical family.   Their largest population is in Texas, but somehow a few have been observed on Sapelo Island.  A couple of the more ardent birders on the trip wanted to explore adding them their list, but the rest of us just did “the tour”.

We took the little launch from the Independence to their little pier

Which serves as the contact to the “outside world”..  Kids go to and from every day for school, plus mail service also is through this pier.  We boarded one of the said school conveyances

And set off for our tour..we passed what appeared to be the local fire department

And many of those haunting live oaks with their decorations

Like our other Gullah island tour, we did see some buildings painted with “haint paint”

That particular shade of blue is said to keep out the “haunts” (ghosts) and so will ward off the “haints”.  We passed by one of the little “communities” which is still a center for inhabitants,

Besides some houses, there is a general store, which has a bar in back.  

As part of our tour, the residents held an “oyster roast” for us, letting us sample some of the local oysters

I found them quite a bit more “salty” than what we get locally, but were very tasty..only missed a beer to wash them down..

Back on the bus, see some more of the local sights..

On our way to the R. J. Reynolds Mansion, which is now owned and run by the State as a retreat center and B&B (for a minimum of 16 guests and a two-night stay).  A quick borrowed history:

The original Mansion was designed and built from tabby, a mixture of lime, shells and water, by Thomas Spalding, an architect, statesman and plantation owner who purchased the south end of the island in 1802. The Mansion served as the Spalding Plantation Manor from 1810 until the Civil War. It fell into ruin after being damaged by Union attack during the Civil War and was later purchased and rebuilt by Detroit automotive engineer Howard Coffin in 1912. Tobacco heir Richard Reynolds (Jr.) purchased the property in 1934 and allowed the University of Georgia to use the facilities for marine research. 

It's a pretty impressive structure

Both inside and outside.. I suppose that such a classic structure had to be modeled after, or at least influenced by, Greek or Roman statuary as evidenced by the lonely lady in the (dry) fountain

or in the grand dining room

The interior walls are beautifully painted with art by Athos Menaboni (1895 - 1990)

and of course there is the classic fireplace adorned with a portrait of the lord of the manor

There was a bowling alley in the basement which the Feeder avoided because of the stairs.

Then it was back on the bus and we wended our way back to the launch for the short ride back to the ship, and we departed for Jekyll Island, ushered by the usual phalanx of gulls

Oh, by the way the birders were shut out of the Chacalacas…

Was a very interesting day and another chance to experience and see a different culture.   Was pleasant to have dinner while underway, which choices were (with underlines indicating the Feeder’s selections):

Crawfish Strudel/Iceberg Chopped Salad

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake/Coffee-Brown Sugar Rubbed Rib Eye Steak/Cajun BBQ Glazed Chicken Breast

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake/Almond Cake/Assorted Ice Cream Flavors

Camera was left in room, probably much to the delight of the other table guests… and of course we were

DFD

post dinner entertainment was these guys:

apparently "steel drums" are no longer fashioned from the top of a 50 gallon oil drum