The First Light House ~ 1810
St. Simons
In 1804, Scottish-born plantation owner
John Couper sold four acres of land for $1 to the
new United States government to build the first
St. Simons Light Station.James Gould was hired
to design and build the lighthouse and
keeper's dwelling in 1807. It was constructed of
tabby - a mixture of oyster shells, lime, sand,
and water. It was first lit in 1811.
The first lighthouse was 75' tall, octagonal, 25' at the
base and tapered to 10' at the top. The 10' iron
lantern room had oil lamps suspended by chains
as the illuminant. James Gould was also appointed
head lighthouse keeper from 1811-1837.
In the summer of 1861, 1500 Confederate troops
were stationed on this site at Fort Brown. In 1862,
Confederate troops destroyed the first lighthouse
before evacuating the island so that Federal
Forces could not use it as a navigational aid.
The occupying troops were the African American
Union soldiers known as the 1st South Carolina
Volunteers.
The Plantation Era
The Plantation Era began in the late 1700's
and thrived on the growing of long staple cotton,
known as "sea island cotton" and other crops such
as indigo and rice. Cotton grew bigger and more
plentifully here on the Georgia sea islands, and
soon plantations were located from one tip of
St. Simons to the other. Although slavery was
outlawed in early Colonial days, it became legal
by 1757 in Georgia.
There is a strong connection between the Coastal
sea islands and the Windward Coast of West
Africa due to the slave trade that played such an
important role in the success of area plantations.
Slaves from West Africa were highly prized for
their ability to cultivate rice, and then cotton.
The War Between the States brought on the
virtual demise of this era. The loss of slave labor
made cotton growing and harvesting unproductive
and not profitable. What remains is a cultural
linkage between the "Gullah/Geechee"
descendants of slaves of the sea islands and the
countries of their ancestors.
A few tabby ruins remain of this era at Hampton
Point, Cannon's Point and Retreat Plantation.
Most of the old plantation lands have been
covered by growth or converted to residential
or commercial properties.
Marker is on 12th Street, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
