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Altamaha Echoes Library - 2006 Issues
Myrtle Newberry - Editor

Lower Altamaha Historical Society Newsletter January 2006

Our Talented Editor of the Altamaha Echoes, Myrtle Newberry, has been hospitalized since early December. Myrtle has been our editor for many, many years and we appreciate all your prayers for her recovery.

Since Myrtle is temporarily unable to edit the Echoes, we elected to publish an "information letter" to inform the membership about important changes, programs and upcoming events. Until Myrtle can resume her position, Lloyd Flanders has graciously volunteered to edit the Echoes beginning with the second quarter.

1-19-06 BOD Meeting  -  4:30p Fort King George
1-19-06 Dutch Treat Dinner  - 5:30p B&J’s (and all future meetings)
1-19-06 Jan. Meeting   -  7:00p Fort King George
Vicki Martin
"Colonial DomesticArtc" 
2-03/2-04 Georgia Days Activities
2-03-06 Oglethorpe Arrives Darien   -  10:00a Fort King George
2-04-06 Oglethorpe Dinner  - 7:00p Fort King George (Barracks)
2-16-06 Feb. Meeting  -  7:00p Fort King George
Henry J. Proctor  "Scots & Scots-Irish
Emigration to America"
3-16-06 March Meeting  -  7:00p Fort King George
Brooke Vallaster  "Sapelo Island tabby ruins at Chocolate"
Jeanine Cook  "Silverpoint Drawings" 
3-25-06 Scottish Heritage Day  - 10:00a to 4:00p, Ft King George
Encampment, reenactors

Fort King George Auditorium will be our new permanent location. Map enclosed.
Parking is limited inside gate, but shuttle service will be provided for those parking on Ft. King George Drive.

ANNUAL DUES ARE DUE IN JANUARY MEMBERSHIP ENVELOPE ENCLOSED

At the BOD meeting on March 17, 2005, the Board voted to change the fiscal year from May 1 - April 30 to January 1 - December, in order to simplify budgeting and membership processes. This change will make the dues year and the fiscal year the same. Dues are currently due, and will be considered past due as of 1 -31-0 6.

Friday, February 3^rd at 10;00am, Oglethorpe will arrive by boat at Fort King George. School children will greet the General. The public is invited.

Back by popular demand, the Oglethorpe dinner will be held in the barracks at Fort King George on Saturday February 4, 2006 at 7:p.m. General Oglethorpe himself will preside at the candlelight dinner featuring authentic Scottish cuisine. Seating is limited to 60 and the cost is $30.00 per person. Please mail or give your check to Kaye Traer, payable to LAHS do LAHS, P.O. Box 1405, Darien, Ga. 31305. Your check will be your reservation and no tickets will be available at the door. Don’t miss this exciting event and delicious dinner.

THURSDAY JANUARY 19

"Practicing Colonial Domestic Arts" will be the unique program presented by Vicki Martin. Vicki, with her husband, Brendan and son, Liam are volunteers at Fort King George. She is a native of Texas with family influences from generations of East and Central Texas farmers and Hill Country ranchers. -Vicki earned a bachelors’ degree in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M. Later she pursued 2 years of graduate studies at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She also works as Director of Lay Ministries at Covenant Church in High Point, N.C.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 16

"Scots and the Scot-Irish Emigration to America" will be the topic by Henry (Jack) Proctor, who will focus on the period of the early 1700 to early 1800’s. Jack is a part time resident of Priester. He graduated from Emory Univ. School of Dentistry in 1963 and after serving in the U.S. Naval Dental Corp. He practiced general dentistry in Statesboro, Ga. Jack married Beverly Joyner in 1969 and they are proud parents of 3 children and 10 grandchildren. The love of history brought to Jack, membership in the Scottish 4~merican Military Society, and the Scottish Heritage Society of S. E. Ga. where he served as past president. He is a member of the Pierre Fauchard Society and the American Legion.

THURSDAY, MARCH 16

March brings a dual program featuring Brooke Vallaster, Education Coordinator for Sapelo Island Nat’l Estuarine Resource Reserve and also Jeannine Cook, talented, award winning artist from Cedar Point.

"Glimmers of History", the beauty and history of Sapelo Island’s tabby ruins at Chocolate will be the program presented by Brooke

Brooke Vallaster is presently pursuing a Masters in Education at Armstrong. She earned a Bachelor in Biology from Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. Brooke joined the staff at Sapelo Island NERR in 1999 where she develops and leads programs for the Reserve that emphasize the natural and cultural resources of Sapelo and the Georgia Coast

"Silverpoint Drawing" will be the topic of local artist, Jeannine Cook. She has spent time on Sapelo Island as an artist in residence working as a guest with the support of the Reserve. The tabby ruins at Chocolate drew Jeannine which she has highlighted in her artwork. In silverpoint, Jeannine actually draws with sterling silver, "allowing a shimmering dialogue with the world around me" says the artist. Cook will describe the unique and historic technique of silverpoint drawing.

Please renew your membership and invite someone else to join so they can learn of our local historical heritage.

We thank Jim Bruce, our Web Master for his diligent work on our website. Please visit our site at www.loweraltamahahistoricalsociety.org

For additional information, please contact Howard or Jeanne Klippel (832-3328)

LOWER ALTAMAHA HISTORIC SOCIETY
P.O. Box 1405 --Darien, Georgia 31305
LAHS Officers & Board of Directors, 2005-2006 Committee Chairman

President              Peyton Lingle                                  Altamaha Echoes     Myrtle Newberry
Vice President     Buddy Sullivan                                 Field Trips        Ed & Joan Meyer
Secretary              Betty Cleveland                                Finance             Howard Klippel
Treasurer              Kaye Traer                                        Hospitality          Harriet Roberson
BOARD                                                                           Membership      Jeanne Klippel
Harry Clark                Jim Bruce                                     Programs           Howard Klippel
Myrtle Newberry        Bud Durden                                 Scholarship         Ann Howard
Lamar Williamson    Jack Godfrey
Chris Milner
Past-President          Dinah Jackson
Director Emeritus      Buddy Sullivan

Lower Altamaha Historic Society Newsletter April 2006

DUTCH TREAT SUPPER. 5:30 P.M. at B & J’s PIZZA

Our speaker for April will be Pamela Bauer Mueller, an award-winning children’s author. She brings valuable messages about relationships, love, loyalty and acceptance to school groups and civic organizations. She now resides on St. Simon Island, Georgia with her husband and cat. She was raised in Oregon and graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She worked as a flight attendant for Pan American Airlines before moving to Mexico City, where she lived for eighteen years, raising two daughters in a bicultural, bilingual environment. After returning to the United States, Pamela worked for twelve years as a U.S. Customs Inspector. She served six years in San Diego and then was selected for a foreign assignment in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Ms. Bauer Mueller took an early retirement from the Customs Service to become a fill-time author. She and her Mexican cat, Kiska, wrote The Kiska Trilogy: The Bumpedy Road, Rain City Cats and Eight Paws to Georgia, which encompassed their adventurous living in Mexico, Canada and the United States. These middle-reader books delight cat lovers of all ages.

Her newest book, an historical novel entitled Neptune’s Honor: A Story of Loyalty and Love, portrays the story of two best friends in antebellum Georgia---one born into slavery and the other, the son of the slave’s master. Their devoted friendship, which finally evolves into a shared struggle to survive on the Civil War Battlefields, is an inspiring example of how two men from completely different backgrounds can stand united as brothers in times of sacrifice and tragedy. Based on months of extensive research, including interviews with the descendants of Neptune Small, Neptune’s Honor delivers a powerful lesson about personal courage, bondage and ultimate freedom.

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The election of Officers for 2006-08 will be held at the LAHS Meeting on April 20. In addition to the slate of Officers and Board of Directors submitted by the 2006 Nominating Committee, additional nominations for these positions may be accepted from the floor. Nominations will be accepted for any LAHS member in good standing who has given consent for the nomination.

The 2006 Nomination Committee, chaired by Chris Milner, submitted the following slate:

OFFICERS 2006-2008                                  BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2006-2008
President               Harriet Roberson                        Harry Clark
Vice President      Jack Godfrey                               Howard Klippel
Secretary               Betty Ewing                                 Myrtle Newberry
Treasurer               Kaye Traer                                  Lamar Williamson
                                                                                     David Miller

A report will be given at the April meeting.
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Patriots Day Celebration will be Wednesday, April 19,2006 at 10:00am at the Fort Frederica

National Monument, St. Simons Island, Georgia. It promises to be a great way to honor our Patriot ancestors as well as have an enjoyable and fun experience.

The ceremony will be conducted near the Magazine ruins on the banks of the Frederica River (about ¼ mile walk from the Visitors Center, under the shade of a beautiful oak tree where seating will be provided.) Musical Selections, Bagpipe and Musket Salutes, and Wreath Presentations will honor -those who captured the three British ships on April 19, 1778.

A buffet lunch will follow at 12:30p.m. at the Best Western Island Inn Conference Center, sponsored by Fort Frederica DAR Chapter/ Tickets are $20 per person and will include a presentation by Coastal Georgian Historian, Gordon Smith from Savannah, who has compiled several books about Revolutionary War Patriots.

Contact Bill Ramsaur at 912-634-1293 for more information.
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For several years, LAHS member, Everett Moriarty has honored, remembered and recognized the Confederate Veterans of McIntosh County. Each year on April 26, Confederate Memorial Day, a basket of flowers is placed on the Confederate Monument at the McIntosh County Courthouse, and over 120 Confederate Flags are placed on the graves of McIntosh County Confederate Veterans. Some of the cemeteries where you may observe these flags are St. Andrews, Ebenezer, Upper Mill, Holland, Plum Orchard, Young Island, McIntosh Family, Baillie Plantation, Reynolds Chapel, Robson Family, and others.
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We will have a combined field trip and meeting. We will meet at 11:15 and car pool from Fort King George to the Brunswick Courthouse. We plan a Dutch Luncheon at the Fox Pizza on Gloucester Street at noon. Following lunch we will tour the Courthouse Exhibit. — The historic (Glynn County Courthouse was selected as one of four venues statewide out of 159 counties, to exhibit this special display for the Month of May 2006. It features the work of Ga. DNR/Historic Preservation Division’s (HPD) photographer: James Lockhart.

After our return to Darien, Board members will convene for a short business meeting.

We appreciate our member, Patricia Barefoot, making these arrangements for us.
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This issue was edited by Lloyd Young Flanders and assisted by Howard & Jeanne Klippel

Web site www.loweraltamahahistoriealsociety.org

Lower Altamaha Historical Society Newsletter June 2006

Lower Altamaha Historical Society 2006 Annual Report

We have enjoyed another year of progress and change. Effective January 2006, LAHS accepted the offer of Steve Smith, the new superintendent of Fort King George, to conduct our monthly meetings at the Fort. We are awaiting the final results of the intended condominium development adjacent to historic Fort King George. As a supporting organization, we have a responsibility to make our concerns known as they touch on the historical and educational contribution of the Fort.

We have missed the significant contributions of Myrtle Newberry during her recent illness and recovery and are looking forward to her imminent return. In her absence, we are grateful for the all the work done by Howard and Jeanne Klippel and Lloyd Flanders to keep the membership of LAHS informed.

We also acknowledge the passing of Dyson Flanders. He will be missed by everyone who knew him, to the Society, to the City of Darien, to McIntosh County, and his family. His individual and collective contributions were essential to the establishment and growth of the Lower Altamaha Historical Society and improvements in the City of Darien.

This year's programs included "The Altamaha River," "Fort Stewart Museum, "Darien, Roswell, Marietta and Sackets Harbor, NY," " 5 Centuries of Book Arts," "Harris Neck NWR-Past & Present", "Silver point Painting", "Scots-Irish Genealogy," "Neptune's Honor," to name a few. The presenters were very knowledgeable and provided new insights into their area of expertise.

With arrangements made by Ed and Joan Meyer, our members enjoyed a day trip to Cumberland Island's Plum Orchard. It was a great opportunity to for participants to look backwards to an earlier time and place. The annual Christmas party was an unqualified success. The highlight, as usual, Everett Moriarty's eggnog.

As of this writing, the $1000 Buddy Sullivan Scholarship has not yet been awarded but there are quite a few deserving applicants.

The Society has been served well by our elected officers, Board of Trustees, and the various committees and their chairmen. In particular, I would like to recognize the excellent work done by Howard Klippel in arranging for great speakers; Jeanne Klippel for her thoroughness in maintaining our current membership records; Anne (Baggett) Howard and her Scholarship Committee; Chris Milner and his nominating committee for their excellent slate of candidates; Ed and Joan Meyer for making the arrangements for our day trips; Kaye Traer for her thoroughness in so diligently keeping the financial affairs of the Society; Harriet Roberson for all her dedication in providing refreshments for every meeting; Everett Moriarity for his willingness to make sure the meeting room is properly set up and that all members and officers are signed in and for his exceptional preparation of the Christmas eggnog recipe; and for Jim Bruce's continuing service as the Webmaster of our web site . I hope I did not leave out anyone but there were so many individuals who have made a contribution to the success of LAHS, I am bound to have overlooked someone. If so, I apologize.

I consider it an honor to have served as President of this outstanding organization for a second term. I am confident that your officers and Board of Trustees will guide the Society by providing even more interesting historical and educational programs and continued service to our community.

Respectfully submitted,

Peyton Lingle

Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve [SINERR] is celebrating 50 years of Research Stewardship and Education. On June 29, 6 p.m. at the Ida Hilton Public Library in Darien , SINERR Director and noted historian Buddy Sullivan will present a program on the history of the Reserve and Sapelo Island. Other anniversary events are listed on the back of this publication.

"Darien Today: Preserving the Past While Planning for the Future" will be the program, presented by Kelly Spratt. Storms, fires, economic booms and busts, the city of Darien has survived many challenge over the centuries. Growth and development are the newest challenge facing this resilient town. Darien City Councilwoman Kelly Spratt will address the issues of preserving the cultural and natural assets of Darien while encouraging sustainable residential and commercial growth.....

Kelly Spratt was born in Athens, GA and raised in Rabun County. She has a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Georgia and an M.S. in Biology from Georgia Southern University. She has worked as a biologist on St. Catherines Island, GA, and in Hawaii and Micronesia. She and her husband Jeff have owned and operated Open Gates Bed & Breakfast in downtown Darien for the past five years. In December of 2005, she was elected to the Darien City Council. They have two children, Hannah (age 5) and Hank (age 1).

The Buddy Sullivan Scholarship Award, $1000, is given yearly to a McIntosh County student by Lower Altamaha Historical Society. The recipient for 2006 is Ciera Loftin , daughter of Dr. Christine Draffin of Darien. Ciera spoke at a LAHS meeting on her return from a students trip to Scotland several years ago. Buddy Sullivan will present this award June 15, at the LAHS meeting. Eight applicants applied for this award.

Fellowship Picnic Supper for LAHS members and guest. Bring a dish that will serve about eight people that does not require a knife for eating. LAHS will furnish Entree, drinks, paper products. Fellowship and socializing will be the fare for the evening. There is no program planned.

"Early Spanish Settlement on Georgia Coast – 1525 – 1721" will be the program presented by Buddy Sullivan. In 1526 , only 34 years after Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the western hemisphere, a Spanish lawyer named Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon led an expedition in six ships comprised of about 500 men and women, including Dominican friars and the first African slaves to come to the land which became the United States, to establish a colony – the first attempt at European colonization in what is now the U. S. mainland. ----The exact location of this colony, called San Miguel de Gualdape, is not known. Based on Hoffman’s research, National Geographic magazine, in March 1988, identified the site as on or near St. Catherines Island in the Sapelo Sound vicinity.

Buddy Sullivan is Director Emeritus of Lower Altamaha Historical Society. He is Director of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Buddy is author of twelve books on various aspects of coastal Georgia history, including comprehensive histories of McIntosh and Bryan counties. Also to his credit are four pamphlets, and various articles and papers.

LAHS Board of Directors Meeting, September 21, 2006, 4:30 P.M. –
Fort King George Historical Site
LAHS members, are always welcome

LAHS Meeting , Thursday, September 21, 2006, 7:00 P.M.
Fort King George Historical Site
Dutch Treat Supper, 5:45 P.M. at B&J Pizza

"Show and Tell" Back by popular demand, LAHS members and their guest are requested to bring pictures, letters, art objects, historic objects, accounts of history, etc. to share with all. Bring your Wedding Photograph and share with all this special time in your life. Your contribution is important to make this an evening of learning, understanding, and fellowship among LAHS members.

Living on the Georgia Tidewater – In September 1895, Mrs. Helen S. Barclay . wrote "A Short Historical Sketch of McIntosh County, Ga." General Robert E. Lee Visits Darien is a part of this work.

"It was in the Spring of 1869 when the old "Lizzie Baker" was our passenger boat between Darien and Savannah. We received notice that Gen. Robert E. Lee would be on board, and had consented to hold an informal reception on board when the boat should stop at Darien. The news spread quickly; the wildest enthusiasm possessed the people, who literally flocked to the town, carrying sprays of the starry orange flowers, the perfume of which will ever be associated with that memorable day. Col. Barclay as ranking Confederate officer, was chosen by the committee to welcome the beloved Chieftain and to present the ladies and gentlemen, Northern, as well as Southern, for all caught the spirit of the occasion. Many of the men had been with him into Maryland, and through the great campaign in Virginia; and now, the tears unconsciously resting on many a cheek, the shaking voice and cordial hand-grasp, bore witness to the devotion that had carried these veterans whenever he led. Pale, calm, patient, he showed no sign of wishing to shorten the ordeal, though in poor health, his own eyes but the brighter for the glitter of tender, unshed tears, as the people piled his arms with their floral tributes, and poured forth such words of loving welcome as must have refreshed his spirits, and cheered his heart, throughout the rest of his earthly sojourn. At every town and city his reception was the same, and it is pleasant to remember that he never denied the people, or himself this sweet interchange of affectionate remembrance, but welcomed it cordially, and bore the tremendous strain and fatigue without sign of weariness, and with his own true smile, beaming into the people’s hearts!"