On This Day in Jekyll History…

July 8, 1742, The Spanish threaten island safety.

In his journal, Georgia president William Stephens continued to record his concerns about the Spanish threat to Georgia, not knowing that the Battle of Bloody Marsh had been fought the previous day:
“July 8. Thursday. This morning we were alarmed by Mr. Habershams arrival, who . . . acquainted me with the Information he had by a Boat passing thro the Narrows in the Evening, bound for Savannah . . . the Substance of the Intelligence was, that the Enemy with upwards of thirty sail were come over the Bar and at Anchor in Jekyll Sound; that they were all Vessels of War . . . that the General thereon, doubting not that they would land, thought it best to blow up what must otherwise fall into their hands, and retire towards the town. . . . Upon this Advice, I order’d to beat to Arms early at the break of day, when I told our men what Intelligence I had received, exhorted them to unity and Steadfastness, whereby only we could preserve ourselves . . . .”
The Spanish would threaten Jekyll Island just days later, burning the home of Major William Horton on July 13.
Source: E. Merton Coulter (ed.), The Journal of William Stephens, 1741-1743 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1959), p. 106. (Courtesy of the GeorgiaInfo website http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/welcome.htm   “This Day in Georgia History”)

Enjoy History?  Visit the Jekyll Island Museum, 100 Stable Road, Jekyll Island, GA www.jekyllisland.com/history

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Tags: jekyll island, jekyll island history, Spanish in Colonial Georgia, spanish invasion, William Stephens
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For a fun family event, raise a jovial mug of (ginger) ale or (root) beer near the site of Georgia’s first brewery, and watch 18th-century British military re-enactors perform musket drills. The soldiers are rallying their defenses against further attacks on Jekyll Island’s strategic shores.

Saturday, July 12, 2008 at 2:00 p.m., Horton House, one of the oldest standing tabby structures in Georgia, where colonial re-enactors will demonstrate 18th-century activities and present the story of the 1742 Spanish raid on Jekyll Island following the Battle of Bloody Marsh.
Fort Frederica National Monument and the Jekyll Island Museum will team up to present this joint program on Georgia’s early colonial history.
Learn about Major William Horton, his family, his servants, and his property on Jekyll Island, as well as their significant role in producing goods to supply the needs of the fledgling British colony. Investigate early British military life, the events of the Battle of Bloody Marsh and the raid on Jekyll Island, and why Horton was a target for the Spanish.

Musket demonstrations, children’s activities, food and drink, and interactions with the interpreters provide a fun and memorable way to learn about the early colonial life of the island, said John Hunter, the director of the Jekyll Island Museum.

“Children will have a chance to make a colonial toy, play some games, and talk to costumed interpreters,” Hunter said. “Participating in activities and visiting with people who seem to step out of the past really brings history alive for them. With Fort Frederica’s help, the Jekyll Island Museum is proud to offer this outstanding living history opportunity.”

During the living history event, general parking will be available both before and after the split-rail fencing that lines Riverview Drive leading up to Horton House. The site is also a pleasant bike ride away from both the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District and the Clam
Creek Picnic Area.

Visit www.youtube.com/user/JekyllIslandMuseum to view a video clip of last year’s event! Co-sponsored by Fort Frederica National Monument and the Jekyll Island Museum. For more information, call 912-635-4036.

Tags: 18th century, battle of bloody marsh, fort frederica, horton house, Jekyll Island History Museum, re-enacting, spanish invasion
Posted in July 2008 | 2 Comments »