Tom has been wanting to visit the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge ever since we first came to St. Simons Island. The main Visitors Center is only an hour away, so we piled in the van for a road trip with Mom and Dad. Tom and I don’t normally spend a lot of time in National …
From March 2018
Smallest Church in America Located in Georgia
Mom is great at researching places to visit and things to see. She is especially good at finding little, out of the way places that Tom and I overlook. When we decided to go to Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, she mentioned that the Smallest Church in America was located close to there. Of course we had to …
Shirley Hunter Paints Family Art that Warms the Heart
One of the great joys of working in so many places is getting to meet people with special gifts. Shirley Hunter is one of those people on St. Simons Island. She is a local artist and she says that the theme of her career is “family art that warms the heart.” I discovered Shirley Hunter …
Black History Month and Gullah Geechee Heritage Day
As you probably know, February was Black History Month. Thus, it was appropriate that here at Fort Frederica we celebrated Gullah Geechee Heritage Day on February 24. I wrote about Gullah Geechee Day last year, but I think it is important enough to write about it again. This year’s Heritage Day was similar to last …
Moving Together in God’s Direction
Tom and I stayed up late last Sunday night to watch the Oscars. Actually, Tom stayed up and I went to bed at 11 but he kept me updated until they were over. I’m not sure why I wanted to watch them, but I like to go to the movies. I always make a list …
Skippers Fish Camp in Darien Georgia
Our boss, Ranger Michael, lives near Darien so we asked him for a recommendation of a place to eat after we visited Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation. Michael said his favorite place was Skippers Fish Camp, so we decided to give it a try. I was glad we asked for the recommendation, because we would never have found …
Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site
When people think of Georgia history, they think of stately mansions and cotton plantations. They think of Scarlet O’Hara and “Gone With the Wind.” I am thankful that we represent an earlier era at Fort Frederica, but slavery and plantations are a part of Georgia history. In order to explore that history further, Tom and …
Short Life of Free Georgia by Noeleen McIlvenna
Did you know that, when Georgia was first established as a colony, there was no slavery allowed? This was quite a surprise to me when I first started working at Fort Frederica. In order to learn more about Georgia during its status as a free state, I read the book “The Short Life of Free …
Birding Festival at Fort Frederica
Last year, while we were at Fort Frederica, we participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Nell Benefield put the event together and did a great job. This year Nell returned as a volunteer to Fort Frederica with the specific task of putting together another birding event. Thus, one of our special events for February …
I See God In You and I Want You to Know
My parents left St. Simons Island and went back to Ohio a week early. A good friend of theirs died and they wanted to attend the funeral. His name was Lyle Hinkle, and he was a pastor in East Ohio Conference for many years. Lyle didn’t have a “distinguished” ministerial career like Billy Graham, another …