This is a relatively young tree, by Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) standards, but it’s a treasured memory of my visit to the island. It’s located on the site of Middle Place Plantation, which was home to the Genesis Project.
This tree, known to most visitors to Ossabaw Island and not much beyond, is called the “Angel Oak”, for its shape, which mimics raised arms or wings. It can be presumed that it was damaged or deformed early in its growth, but from this damage came a beautiful living work of art.
The free-roaming miniature Sicilian Donkeys that have become a symbol of Ossabaw Island were introduced by Sandy West as a gift for her son in 1965.
With no natural predators on the island, the donkey herd grew to over a hundred individuals by the late 1990s.
In the year 2000, a state management plan declared the donkeys an invasive species and the majority of the herd was relocated through adoption to locations on the mainland.
Today, only about eight donkeys remain on the island. They have been sterilized to prevent future expansion of the herd, but the survivors are loved by all who are lucky enough to visit Ossabaw. They are usually very curious and greet visitors soon after their arrival. They often seek shade in the old tabby smokehouse.
You can help support the herd by adopting one of the donkeys, through the Ossabaw Island Foundation.
This is the view from the Club House to Torrey Landing.
National Register of Historic Places
This secluded road leads to the Torrey-West House.
National Register of Historic Places
The Club House was constructed during Philadelphia department store magnate John Wanamaker’s ownership of Ossabaw Island. Some sources state it was originally built for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 and moved to Ossabaw and reconstructed; other accounts suggest that it was simply a kit house, without the Philadelphia history. Either way, it’s the place where most visitors stay on the island today.
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
Besides the tabby slave cabins, this is the only surviving structure from North End Plantation. It has been expanded with brick veneer.
National Register of Historic Places
Modified for residential use in the 20th century and restored in the late 2000s, the three extant tabbies on Ossabaw Island represent the most significant surviving group of slave dwellings on the Georgia coast. They were part of the Morel family’s North End Plantation, which was among the most successful such operations in early Georgia. Though exact construction dates for the tabby row can’t be determined, extensive archaeological research has determined they were built between circa 1820-1840s. Various Ossabaw employees lived in these structures into the early 1990s and they were modified to accommodate modern needs. Nearly all traces of those modifications have been removed and restoration work has been done.
This cabin has been stabilized and will eventually be restored. Past modifications are still visible.
This cabin retains its central chimney.
Like the other two cabins, this was originally a saddlebag though the central chimney has been removed.
National Register of Historic Places
This structure, also known as the Bachelor’s House, was built for partners of the Strachan Shipping Company who purchased Ossabaw Island from Henry Davis Weed in 1916. During their ownership it was used primarily as a hunting plantation and at least one superintendent (Hinely) and his family lived here.
National Register of Historic Places