The Atwoods were among the first families in the McIntosh County involved in commercial shrimping. Their local origins can be traced to 1824 when Ann Margaret McIntosh (1807-1873) of Cedar Point married Henry Skilton Atwood (1795-1864), a native of Litchfield, Connecticut.

Their sons, George Elliot Atwood, Sr. (1849-1914), James Alfred Atwood (1840-1906), and John McIntosh Atwood (1849-1933), were all prominent in 19th-century McIntosh County. George is credited with the naming of Valona [for a timber vessel from the Albanian port of Valona which worked in Sapelo Sound]; two of the brothers (I’m still trying to determine which two) began the seafood cannery at Cedar Point.

Henry Grantland Atwood (1872-1942), a leading timber broker and great-grandson of Henry & Ann Atwood, built this house. Some sources I consulted dated it to the 1880s, but considering Henry’s age at the time, I believe it was likely completed some time in the mid- to late-1890s.

The house is a remnant of a lost era on the coast. It was an instant favorite and its charm is barely expressed by something as simple as a photograph. It’s part of a tight-knit neighborhood that keeps a watchful eye on it, but luckily, it’s also video-monitored just in case. I’m unable to give directions to the house, out of respect for the neighborhood and the owners. Thanks to Bill Bolin for the background information and to Quincy Roberts for bringing it to my attention.