Jekyll

By Sam Burnham
@C_SamBurnham

The Summer Road Trip carried us further to the south, to Glynn County. Jekyll Island is a true Georgia jewel. 

Our visit started at The Georgia Sea Turtle Center. 

Unlike our neighbors to the south, Georgia has a collection of largely untouched and undeveloped beaches lying on the barrier islands that form a natural buffer between "civilized" Georgia and the Atlantic Ocean. While there is development on these islands, they also hold a wealth of natural beauty and habitats for many creatures native to Georgia. That includes sea turtles that return to these beaches every year to lay their eggs in the sand. 

The presence of species in a precarious situation as the turtles find themselves in even more need of help due to injury, illness, or interaction with other species, necessitates the presence of a place like the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The center is a working hospital that highlights their patients in an effort to educate the public on these animals and their plight. 

The tour starts with exhibits that educate visitors on the various hazards that sea turtles face. Everything from litter, to nest placements, to natural predators factors into the small chances that one of these turtles will make it to full maturity, somewhere around age 30.  Each visitor gets to "become" a sea turtle with a card presented to them on entry. There are stations which determine the sex, nesting location, path of travel after hatching, the organism that makes a home on each shell, and the eventual age of death of each turtle. These phases help visitors to learn more about the lives of these creatures and the threats they face. 

The highlight of the visit is the hospital. Convalescing turtles swimming in pools and being treated and tended to by the staff. The animals are brought to the center and decisions are made about treatment and the likelihood that each patient can be released back into the wild - the primary goal for each one. 

During a "Meet the Patient" session, a staff member tells the story of a patient, demonstrates the feeding techniques used to not domesticate the animal and give an update on the patient's progress. 

This is a highly recommended stop for any trip to Jekyll. 

Caregivers Giving Treatment to One of the Patients at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

Meeting "Coral" During the Meet the Patient Session

A Young Turtle Living at the Geaorgia Sea Turtle Center Until it Can Be Returned to the Ocean

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is also a fine example of historic preservation. The structure is around a hundred years old and was originally constructed as a power station for the island. The plant became obsolete and was abandoned before falling into disrepair. But people with a vision rescued the structure and renovated it to be re-purposed and todayit serves as a sanctuary for endangered species.  

A View of the Iconic Driftwood Beach

Speaking of beaches and habitats, we made a stop at Driftwood Beach, along the northern shore of the island. The beach is strewn with dead and bleached out trees lying on a strip of sand that is buffered from the waves by a coarse layer of rock. Among the racks are small dips and pits that form small pools that are teeming with life. Fish, mollusks, small crab, and other small sea life can be seen in the pools. Shells are caked on the rocks in thick layers that you can't even pry apart. Many of the shells are still inhabited. It's hard to tell where life ends and death begins, where the ocean ends and land begins. The elements sort of fade into each other. 

It's not what most folks would think of as a beach. There are sure to be a few folks sitting out in the sun or splashing in the waves but the crowds of sunbathers sitting next to umbrellas on a broad strip of white sand is not Driftwood Beach. To me, it's perfect. To me, it's iconic Georgia. 

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We made a stop on a little more typical of a beach but a summer storm cut that visit short. But that was when we came across an unexpected find. Sitting beside the road, just around the bend from Driftwood Beach, you'll find Horton House. 

The house is actually tabby ruins. The house is in fairly good shape for ruins. The walls are still intact, the windows still their intended shape. The home was constructed by Major William Horton of Oglethorpe's Regiment. Horton was known as the Undersheriff of Herefordshire and moved to Georgia in 1736. He built the two story home and was the first English resident of Jekyll. On his plantation he grew crops that would supply the soldiers of Ft. Fredrica on nearby St. Simons Island. Horton commanded the regiment after Oglethorpe returned to England and lived in the home until his death in 1748.

Standing inside the ruins, next to the old fireplace, filled me with the wondering of what might have been said there. What influential people may have visited. What plans for military actions against the Spanish in Florida may have been hatched in that room? What did they mourn or celebrate here? What an important, if forgotten piece of Georgia History.

The Tabby Ruins of Horton House

A Marker Describes the Use of Tabby

And the road carried on. The trip is nearing an end. It wouldn't be summer without baseball. And if I'm going to write about baseball, there's got to be a twist. Stay tuned.   ​