Eugenia Price
first visited
St. Simons Island
on a book tour
in 1961.
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CANNON’S POINT PRESERVE From there,
journey with character James Gould from the lighthouse on the south
end of the island to Cannon’s Point on the north end. Once a Native
American homestead, the treasured land on Cannon’s Point was purchased
by John Couper in 1793. He transformed the sandy plot bordering the
Hampton River into a cotton plantation. You can visit the plantation’s
ruins by making a five-mile trek from the Cannon’s Point Preserve parking
lot, where a kiosk provides maps. Among the ruins, you’ll find 19th-
century relics like fragments of the tabby sourced from Fort Frederica.
Cannon’s Point Preserve is open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
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which took shape in 1810 but suffered total wreckage during the Civil
War. The current tower was reconstructed and reignited in 1872. Crafted
in Savannah gray brick, the tower stands 104 feet tall and is among only
five lighthouses that remain in the state of Georgia.
Get your camera ready and climb the 129 steps to the top. You’ll enjoy
unparalleled views of the Island’s south end, nearby Jekyll Island, and
Brunswick. Tours of the lighthouse and museum are Monday through
Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
GASCOIGNE BLUFF Afterwards, end your adventure
at one of the most serene spots on St. Simons Island’s western side.
Gascoigne Bluff, which overlooks the Frederica River, is truly a marvel of
self-reinvention. It began as a Native American community, then as a port
for ships entering the harbor. It’s been a naval base, the site of a Franciscan
monastery, a slave plantation and cotton stronghold, and eventually, a hub
for transporting lumber and timber. It was also here that James Gould
felled oaks to construct warships for the Navy.
Visitors can enjoy the beauty of Gascoigne Bluff’s public park. Make
your way to the fishing pier, where marshland meets the Frederica River, to
soak up a Georgian sunset. If you peer across the water, you can spy three
small islands that formed from ballast discarded by ships dating back to the
18th century.
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