THE GOLF COURSE

A pristine setting tucked away along the Sapelo River, the 18 hole, 6,887 yard, par 72 Sapelo Hammock Golf Club is routed through historic oak-lined fairways with breathtaking marsh views.

Designed with five sets of tees to accomodate golfers of all skill levels, Sapelo Hammock features Champion Bermuda greens, 4-19 Bermuda fairways and roughs, and coastal Georgia marsh grass hazards.  Sapelo Hammock has amassed numerous hanors to include the prestigious "Top 100 New Courses" from Golf Digest.

PLAY GOLF

Nestled among centuries-old, majestic oak trees covered in Spanish moss, Sapelo Hammock winds through well-placed lagoons and scenic salt marshes.  A distinct challenge for golfers of all skill levels - at 6,887-yards from the tips with a 73.5 slop rating - the course offers exceptional experiences for everyone.

The back nine is highlighted by the difficult par-3 No. 17, Sapelo Hammock's signature hole.  The 189-yard hole features a natural island hammock surrounded by marsh and provides a daunting challenge for even the most seasoned golfer.

WEDDINGS, BANQUETS & OUTINGS

Set amidst the beautiful backdrop of a stunning golf course, Sapelo Hammock Golf Club offers you and your guests an extraordinary setting for your special event - whether a wedding reception, ceremony, holiday party, banquet, corporate seminar, golf event, or other special occasion.

Designed with guests' expectations for both comfort and refinement in mind, Sapelo Hammock offers expansive amenities without losing a sense of intimacy that defines it.

We pride ourselves on offering Georgia's friendliest service to all of our customers, and providing the best golf course layout and conditions for all skill-level golfers.  Your group will experience the best Sapelo Hammock has to offer.

Fort King George is the oldest English fort remaining on Georgia's coast. From 1721 until 1736, the fort was the southern outpost of the British Empire in North America. They endured incredible hardships from disease, threats of Spanish and Indian attacks, and the harsh, unfamiliar coastal environment. After the fort was abandoned, General James Oglethorpe brought Scottish Highlanders to the site in 1736. Tour the museum and the palisaded earthen fort. Fort structures include the enlisted soldiers barracks, officers quarters, hospital, brewing and baking house and blacksmith's shop. The fort's three-story blockhouse offers a spectacular view of the marshes and rivers of the Altamaha River delta. Living history demonstrations, battle re-enactments and walking tours bring the fort's history to life. This site is on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail. Picnic area and bus parking are available. Group tours and school field trips are available with reservations.

Open Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm
Closed Monday (except holidays), Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
Closed Tuesday when open on Monday<
Fort King George Historic Site
302 McIntosh Road SE
Darien, GA 31305
912-437-4770
/www.gastateparks.org/fortkinggeorge/

The McIntosh Art Association took possession of the former jail and set about renovating and converting into six working Art Galleries along with gift shop, classrooms, outdoor garden and the McIntosh County History Museum. Artists exhibit in many variety of medium with exhibits changing quarterly. There is quite a large group of artists in the area and the Art Center offers a great opportunity for visitors to view, browse or purchase local works. The Old Jail Art Center also serves as the Darien Welcome Center, providing visitors with information and recommendations on accomodations, restaurants, and points of interest.

Old Jail Art Center & Museum
Darien Welcome Center
404 Northway (US Highway 17)
Darien, GA 31305
Open: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm
Admission is FREE
912-437-7711
www.McIntoshArtAssociation.com

Near the coast, the fresh-water rivers, such as the Altamaha, are affected by the rise and fall of the tides from the Atlantaic Ocean to about thirty miles inland. This setting made possible the utilization of the flushing effects of fresh and salt water tides for systematic, irrigation purposes, which are necessary for the cultivation of rice. The great watershed of the Altamaha delta between Darien and Glenn County's northern section made possible the development of prosperous rice plantations.

The peak of the rice industry in McIntosh County was reached in the decade of the 1850s. The local plantations along the Altamaha River branches and Cathead Creek west of Darien, accounted for the bulk of the rice being exported from Georgia durng the antebellum period. Pierce Butler and P.M. Nifhringale were the two biggest planters in terms of volume.

One of the largest plantations in the South was the Butler Island Plantation, located just south of Darien, across the Darien River on what is now US Highway 17. The story of the plantation is a fascinating one, beginning in the 1790s, when Major Pierce Butler planted the land on the Altamaha Delta, which provided perfect conditions for growing rice. In the year 1838 the major's grandson, Captain Pierce Butler, whom was married the famous and beautiful British stage actress Fanny Kemble, arrived at the plantation for a six-month working visit. Kemble, who was not familiar with the reality of slavery, immediately became very opposed to the treatment of the slaves. She penned her feelings and eventually published the notes in a book called Journal of a Resident on a Georgia Plantation, which some say helped persuade the British to oppose slavery and the Civil War. The plantation site is now owned by The Nature Conservancy and the land (excluding the house) is open to the public for picnicking, fishing and birding. Sunsets can be dramatic, as the setting sun creates reflections of brilliant color in the Butler River

Located on the Darien River, east of the Highway 17/99 bridge, a pavillion and docks border the park and are great for fishing, and other leisurely activities. A playground area and picnic tables shaded with cabbage palms and live oaks provide an elevated view of the river.

On any day of the year, you'll see a variety of moored pleasure boats and fishing vessels; along the river's edge, Darien's colorful shrimp boat fleet offers a picturesque view to the delight of artists, photographers, and visitors.

Waterfront Park was once the site of the busiest port on the Southeast coast; in the 19th Century, a steady stream of ships entered the Port of Darien for cargoes of lumber, mostly yellow pine, bound for Europe.

Waterfront Park comes alive with excited crowds lining its docks during Darien's largest annual festival, The Blessing of the Fleet. Held every April, this three day event honoring Darien's shrimpers includes kid's amusement rides, street vendors, food vendors, musical entertainment and fireworks.

Darien Waterfront Park

912-437-6659

The Trailhead Center was originally built as a firehouse and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.  This building has also served as an armory, library, community center and, until recently, as the City Hall for more than 70 years.

Sapelo is a state-managed barrier island, the fourth largest in the chain of coastal Georgia islands between the Savannah and St. Marys rivers.  Accessible only by passenger ferry from Meridian Dock eight miles northeast of Darien, Sapelo provides a number of public access recreational, educational and lodging opportunities.

 The island is managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Wildlife Resources Division), which operates the ferry service and serves as the state liaison for several other island entities. These include the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (SINERR), administered and operated in a state-federal partnership between Georgia DNR and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; also, the University of Georgia Marine Institute, and the civilian Hog Hammock community, permanent home to about 70 full-time residents, many of whom are descended from the antebellum slaves of Sapelo’s various plantations.

 

The SINERR comprises 6,100 acres of pristine tidal salt marsh and upland maritime forest. It is the primary platform for public education and outreach on the island, as well as coordination of various scientific research and water quality monitoring initiatives. The SINERR also operates the mainland Visitors Center at the Meridian ferry dock from which visitors may make tour reservation for public day trips to the island on Wednesdays and Saturdays the year around in addition to Fridays during the summer.

 

DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division manages the 7,000-acre R.J. Reynolds WMA an area set aside for seasonal recreational hunting for the public, in addition to wildlife research and forest management. The DNR and SINERR headquarters are located at the Long Tabby, housed in a restored tabby sugar mill originally built in 1809.

 

DNR, through its Parks & Historic Sites Division, also operates the R.J. Reynolds Mansion on Sapelo. Built by Thomas Spalding in 1810 and restored successively by automotive pioneer Howard Coffin in 1925 and tobacco heir Richard J. Reynolds in the 1940s, the Mansion provides overnight accommodations for groups of up to 28 with meals and other amenities prepared by island residents. The mansion also operates a public beach campground at Cabretta, for groups of up to 25 persons.

 

The University of Georgia Marine Institute, housed in the former farm and dairy complex built by Reynolds in the 1930s, has conducted estuarine research since 1953 with the focus on the chemical and biological processes associated with the surrounding tidal salt marsh ecosystem. Some of the leading ecologists in the world have conducted field studies at the Marine Institute, including Dr. Eugene Odum, “father of modern ecology.”

 

During the Civil War, most of the slaves on Sapelo Island were ferried to the mainland and were then marched en masse to Milledgeville to avoid the Union army. After the war, many of the freed slaves struggled to return to Sapelo, where they created five settlements around the island with acreage they had purchased through the Freedman’s Bureau, established by Congress during Reconstruction after the Civil War to provide aid to newly freed slaves.

In 1912, the Spalding heirs sold the remaining land in Sapelo to Henry Coffin of Detroit. In 1933, tobacco heir Richard J. Reynolds of Winston-Salem, N.C., purchased from Collins all but the former slave communities on Sapelo. Upon his death in 1964, his estate bequeathed the island to the State of Georgia. During the years that Reynolds owned Sapelo, he coerced, bought and relocated the various Geechee settlements into the inland—and landlocked—hamlet of Hog Hammock.

Inside the Hog Hammock of today, one hears the sounds of chickadees, frogs and cicadas and sees the occasional pure white egret or, chillingly, a circling buzzard. Rarely, one will hear a passing car, or see a resident on foot or peddling a bicycle to a neighbor’s house. The quiet is disquieting.

One might also hear the island’s elderly speaking in Geechee dialect, a blending of African, English, French and Portuguese. The lyrical vernacular is peppered with idioms and metaphors and spoken at a pace that precludes any understanding by the untrained ear. It is not rapid-fire; it is gentle. Scattered traces of the language can be heard in the English spoken by those in the community. Were it not for the context of the sentence, a listener might not understand that “boot” is really boat, “whet” is really wait and “ples” is really place.

Geechee traditions and language are similar to Gullah and the terms are often used interchangeably, yet what makes each distinct depends upon whose definition—or combination of beliefs—one accepts. Others suggest it depends upon what tribe one’s ancestors were from in Africa. Still others say “it depends upon who owned you,” a reference to slave ancestry.

The surviving Geechee culture, and the history of it—including the slavery heritage—is all Hog Hammock offers in the way of commerce. Crafts such as woven sweetgrass baskets and handmade fishing nets provide the elderly with little income. There are few, if any, jobs within the small community, save a sprinkling of businesses including a small convenience store and three small bed-and-breakfast establishments.

Younger residents have deserted the island to find opportunity elsewhere, as evidenced by the fact that more than five years have passed since a child was born to the community. Most young residents take the daily ferry to the “other side” (the mainland) to attend school and/or work in nearby Darien.

The shrinking population is intent on protecting its land and heritage, and has formed a non-profit corporation known as Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society (SICARS), whose mission is to preserve and revitalize Hog Hammock. Among other things, the society has created a community land trust and is considering development of a cultural village to attract tourists and acquaint visitors with Gullah/Geechee history, lore and crafts. An annual fund raiser, known as Culture Day, is held the third Saturday of October.
Sapelo Island - Hog Hammock:
Getting there: Transportation to the island is limited to the Sapelo Queen and Anne Marie ferry services, which are operated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The ferry departs from the tiny town of Meridien, which is off Georgia Highway 99 and eight miles northeast of Darien. Contact the Sapelo Island Visitor’s Center at (912) 537-3224 for a current ferry schedule and fares. The ferry ride takes 30 minutes. It is important to note that there is no transportation from the ferry to your destination unless otherwise pre-arranged. http://www.sapeloislandgeorgia.org/ferry.html

Where to stay: Sapelo is rustic. There are no golf courses, water parks or outlet malls. Transportation is available only through various island tours, on foot or via bicycle. There are three types of accommodations on the island and each is distinctive: inns at Hog Hammock, group bookings at the Reynolds mansion or group camping facilities. http://www.gastateparks.org/SapeloReynolds

Individual travelers can stay at any of three accommodations in Hog Hammock. Ask your host about ferry reservations and transportation from the dock when reserving accommodations.

The Wallow Inn: www.gacoast.com/geecheetours; (912) 485-2206. The Wallow Inn is a pleasant and comfortable six-bedroom inn owned and operated by Cornelia and Julius Bailey, who live next door. Guests may cook in a communal kitchen but must bring their own food.

The Weekender: (912) 485-2277. The Weekender has four bedrooms, a communal kitchen and a three-bedroom family unit. Guests must bring their own food or eat at The Tabby Cottage, which, like The Weekender, is owned and operated by Nancy and Caesar Banks. The Tabby Cottage has sporadic hours; inquire about meal times.

LuLu and George Walker’s Vacation Rentals: (912) 485-2270. Lulu’s Kitchen open by appointment. Reservations for meals must be made after arriving on the island.

Cambretta Pioneer Campground: (912) 485-2299. Groups of 15-25 may camp near the beach on Sapelo’s Cabretta Island. Make reservations through the Reynolds mansion.

What to see: Island tours can be arranged through the state-operated visitor’s center at (912) 437-3244 or through The Spirit of Sapelo Tours, operated by Maurice Bailey (the entertaining and well-versed son of Cornelia Bailey): (912) 485-2170. Guests of Reynolds mansion can book their tours through the mansion. All tours include a visit to the island’s lighthouse (circa 1820), Reynolds mansion, Hog Hammock, the University of Georgia Marine Institute and more.http://www.toursapelo.com/sapelo_tour.htm

What to take: Supplies are limited. One small convenience store is located in Hog Hammock, where the delightful proprietor keeps his own hours. http://www.nps.gov/history/goldcres/sites/sapelo.htm

http://www.gacoast.com/navigator/sapelo.html

 BEAUTIFUL SCENERY - ABUNDANT WILDLIFE

Enjoy over 100 miles of Georgia's scenic Altamaha River, designed one of the world's "75 Last Great Places" by The Nature Conservancy.  Over two million acres of forestland along this waterway provide habitat for an array of Georgia's wildlife, including rare birds such as the swallow-tailed kite and bald eagle.

Join an experienced guide for a naturalist-led tour with a local flavor, or plan your own trip with easy river access from landings and marinas throughout this 11 county region.  Outfitters offer all the equipment and information you'll need.  From Lumber City to the sea, you can relax and enjoy the roads less traveled as you discover the pleasures of Georgia's mightly Altamaha River!

www.altamahariver.org

 

The building now used as Darien's City Hall was built as an armory in the 1870's.  It later served as a fire house, police station, community house, and is now City Hall.

The Burning of Darien

On June 11, 1863 the seaport of Darien was vandalized and burned by Federal forces stationed on nearby St. Simons Island.  The town was largely deserted, most of its 500 residents having sought refuge inland.  Lost were public buildings, churches, businesses and most private residences.  Conducting the raid were units comprised of among the first African-American troops to serve the Union cause, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers under Col. Robert G. Shaw, and the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers under Col. James Montgomery.  The burning of Darien, undefended and of little strategic importance, was one of the most controversial events of the Civil War.

Ashantilly was the mainland home of Thomas Spalding, an early Georgia planter, legislator, and McIntosh County plantation owner. The original home, circa 1820, burned in 1937 then was rebuilt around Spalding’s tabby walls. Ashantilly Center is a non-profit educational and cultural history center, organized and founded by William G. Haynes, Jr., a well-known printer who operated The Ashantilly Press.

 

Located in north McIntosh County, this little sanctuary has become a stop for thousands of I-95 and US Highway 17 travelers. Situated near the South Newport River, the church was constructed in 1949, and represented a dream come true for Mrs. Anges Harper, a local grocer. She wanted the chapel to serve as a place of meditation and rest for weary travelers. Although small, the structure is not lacking in character and beauty with stained glass windows imported from England. Local ministers still lead non-denominational worship there every third Sunday and the church is very popular for it remains one of the most unique structures along the Georgia Coast Scenic Byway.

(ust south of I-95 exit 67, on GA Hwy. 17, 10 minutes from Shellman Bluff

Vernon Square was built in 1806. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Square follows the concept of early town planning utilized by James Oglethorpe in Savannah in 1733. It is one of several planned squares in the community. Throughout the 19th Century, Vernon Square was the business, cultural, social and religious center of Darien. A number of the surviving historic homes were the residence of the lumber barons and leading merchants during the timber era when Darien was one of the top two ports on the coast.

Located at Washington Street

Darien, GA 31305

The Adam Strain Building is a stuccoed tabby two-store warehouse that was burned in 1863 and refurbished in 1873.  It was used for many years as a mercantile store and ship's chandlery.  It is the oldest commercial building in Darien.

At the direction of Bishop Stephen Elliot, a group of planters and other citizens of McIntosh County organized a mission congregation under the name St. Peter's Church, Darien in 1841.  A year llater, the name of the congregation was changed to St. Andrew's and the congregation was admitted as a parish in the diocese in 1843.  The first church building was completed in 1844.  The civil was was not kind to Darien or St. Andrew's.  From 1862 to 1866, the parish was abandoned.  In 1863, Union troops, including the 54th Massachusetts under the command of Colonel Robert Shaw, burned Darien.  After the war, Mrs. Shaw and some of her friends sent money to assist in the rebuilding of St. Andrew's.  Although those funds were in fact used to construct a church at the Ridge, members of the parish eventually raised the funds to buy the lot where the Bank of Darien had previously stood and to construct the present St. Andrew's church building.  The building was completed and consecrated in 1879.  One of the most photographed buildings in Darien, St. Andrew's looks out on Vernon Square.

 

St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church was built by former slaves. In December of 1873, the Hon. Rev. James Wentworth Leigh, Dean of Hereford through 1914, St. Cyprians was under the direction of the Rev. Ferdinand M. Mann, an African American priest of the church. It was during this time that St. Cyprian's school was established for the education of African American children in Darien. The school served the community for many years, and several of the current members of St. Cyprian's received their initial education at teh school.

St. Cyprian's is constructed of tabby according to the building methods of mid 19th Century coastal Georgia. It is believed to be one of the largest tabby structures still in use in Georgia. The building suffered extensive damage in the hurrican of 1896 and by another storm imn 1898, but in each case the building was repaired and teh congregation continued to worship.

Over the last two decades, the congregations of St. Cyprian's and St. Andrew's have moved closer together. In addition to sharing clergy, they now share the use of the parish hall and participate jointly in Sunday School. At present there is a single Episcopal Community in mcIntosh County with two distinct faces: The Episcopal Churches of St. Andrew and St. Cyprian.

The First Presbyterian Church of Darien is considered to be the first congregation of the Presbyterian denomination to be established in Georgia. The Darien church was founded in January 1736 by Scottish Highlanders from Inverness, Scotland, only three years after the Georgia colony was established at Savannah by James Edward Oglethorpe.
The Rev. John McLeod of Scotland was the first pastor of the Darien church, which prospered during the colonial era in the formative years of the town and colony.
The Darien Presbyterian Church was re-organized in 1809 with the constitution of the present permanent church and congregation. In 1820, the church constructed a permanent edifice on the east side of the present Highway 17 near the later county jail site. The two most prominent antebellum pastors of the Darien Presbyterian Church were Nathaniel A. Pratt (1826-1840), who later was one of the founders of the town of Roswell in north Georgia, and Francis R. Goulding (1856-1862) who wrote the well-known novel "The Young Marooners" among other popular works of fiction during the period. The antebellum church structure served the congregation until 1863 when Darien was burned by Union forces during a raid on the town by troops stationed on nearby St. Simons Island. The church site was later given to the First African Baptist Church whose congregation built their present church in 1868.
 A new wooden Presbyterian church was built in 1876 on the site of the present church on a plot owned by the congregation since the 1820s (Bayard Square). An accidental fire destroyed the building in 1899, although church records (dating back to 1820) and the pulpit furniture were saved. A new tabby Gothic-Victorian church edifice, the present structure, was built and consecrated to the glory of God on September 2, 1900. In 2000, the Darien congregation held special observances in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the building.

The First African Baptist church in Darien was erected in 1868, but replaces a replica of the 1834 church that once stood on the same site.

 

Shellman Bluff is a peaceful, picturesque fish camp village that retains the distinctive charm that once was common on the Georgia coast but has become harder to find. This is the real thing. Quaint, screened fishing cottages sit back among oaks festooned with Spanish moss. All the dirt roads of the quiet village seem to lead inevitably to the high bluff that overlooks the Broro and Julienton rivers. Winding along the edge of the high bluff is another sandy road that offers one of the best coastal views in Georgia. In the morning, the sun rises from behind Harris Neck, lighting the green marsh and dappling the tidal rivers. Birds roost in distant hammock islands, oblivious to the friendly conversation of anglers preparing to head out for another day of sport-fishing. Speed's Kitchen, a local restaurant, describes the area for out-of-towners on its menu: "SHELLMAN BLUFF. Not a place for Fast lane folks. Ain't got no red lights. No 4-lanes. We move slow here. Try it—good for your health."

Shellman Bluff and Sutherland Bluff, located on Broro Neck, were the locations of several large plantations. Shellman Bluff was the location of Shellman Plantation, operated by William Cooke until his death in 1861. South of Shellman Bluff is Sutherland Bluff, the scene of Revolutionary War shipbuilding activity and the antebellum Brailsford Plantation. Today, it is Sutherland Bluff Plantation, a community of homes that overlook the river and Sapelo Hammock Golf Club.

Today, Shellman and Sutherland Bluff have several excellent low-country seafood restaurants and is a great place to charter a boat for fishing, a nature outing, or a trip to Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge.