This is just south of Woodbine on US Highway 17. It’s been widely photographed, the most famous of these images having been made over 30 years ago by the late Jack Leigh. Various signs, from Coca-Cola to Sunbeam, have been removed or stolen over the years, but the architecture remains interesting, especially the oversized pit chimney. Thanks to Terry Proctor of Woodbine for clarifying its identity. I had originally called it Bell’s Bar-B-Q, but Terry thinks that was across the highway. He also notes that Moody’s was the standard by which all barbecue in the area was judged for many years!
When we lived in Woodbine, my mom and I were good friends with Mr. Moody, because we ate his sandwiches just about every week during the summer and he knew us well. His BBQ sauce was spectacular. I have never had before, and never had since, BBQ as good as that man could make it. When my mom guessed the secret ingredient in his sauce, he was astonished, and she was quickly sworn to secrecy.
He was the nicest man. I remember him and his daughters working together many times. A story I remember, when we arrived to purchase some BBQ, we saw that something wasn’t quite right. He had had a break-in. Apparently, some thieves heard of a large order that he was working on and broke in to steel all the meat. Funny thing is that he kept large amounts of meat at his house (located about a 1/4 mile behind the place down a long dirt driveway), and not the business, so they hardly stole anything.
Another story he told, he remembers many times when a car would pull up and men in suits would get out and buy many gallons of his BBQ sauce. He found out that they were Secret Service for Lyndon B Johnson, who would take the sauce back to Texas for some of the famous parties LBJ had at his ranch.
Great memories that I am glad I could reminisce and share.
Mr. Moody ran that barbecue place for 30 or 40 years. When Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base opened, Best barbecue made with mustard-based sauce I ever had! Admirals in their sparkling white uniforms ate barbecue at Moody’s. After his death, his daughters tried to make a go at it, but weren’t in business as long as their father–probably just 4 or 5 years at most.
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A friend, a GA park ranger from Crooked River & I picked up some chopped BBQ sandwiches there in the 80s on the way to 3R Fish Camp on the Satilla river. An older black lady made them & they were good.
Lived in St. Mary’s Ga >25 years ago-still have my photo of Moody’s and have tried to replicate their BBQ since!
Nice! I went on a road trip 3 years ago through the old highways of the deep south. Pasted this old bbq shack, turned around and tool some shots of it. Never new its history until my last art show when a customer recognized it! They said it looked “just like a bbq place in Georgia that we went to 10 years ago. I think it was called Moody’s” Googled it when I got home, and glory be! It was the same place! Thanks for writing about it!