Lower Altamaha Historical Society

Past Programs (1998- 2005)

Date	Program and Presenter

1998-09-24	Georgia's coastal fortifications and gun emplacements during Spanish American War of 1898 - Hans Neuhauser
1998-10-15	1898 hurricane and 'tidal wave' - Buddy Sullivan
1998-10-31	Wassaw Island trip- guest of Ellie Legg
1998-11-19	Members bring items for show and tell
1998-12-09	Christmas party at Belvedere Island Plantation
1999-04-15	"Historical Cemeteries of the South: A Photographic Tour" -W. Todd Groce
1999-05-01	Field Trip- LeConte-Woodmanston Plantation -Gail Whalen site manager
1999-05-20	Delirium of the Brave by William C. Harris, Jr. author
1999-06-17	Brunswick the Ocean Port of Georgia by Bruce Fendig author
1999-07-15	Picnic - Sapelo Island Visitors Center
1999-08-19	Fort Morris at Sunbury, Georgia - Arthur Edgar, superintendent Fort Morris
1999-09 to 12 ?
2000-01-20	Kite Aerial Photography - Dr. Jon Traer
2000-02-17	From Beautiful Zion to Red Brick Creek , A History of Bryan County, Georgia - Buddy Sullivan author
2000-03-16	The Saga of Esso Baton Rouge and SS Oklahoma off the Georgia coast on the morning of 8 April 1942 by Michael Higgins - author
2000-04-20	"Communities displaced by Fort Stewart Military Reservation in 1941" by Wyman May of Hinesville
2000-04-29	Field Trip- Fort Stewart Museum
2000-05-18	"Native Americans- Tribe Development in Georgia" - Bill Merriman, Manager Sapelo Island Visitors Center
2000-09-21	Preservation of the First African Baptist Church at Racoon Bluff on Sapelo Island - Professor Bob Dickensheets, Savannah College of Art and Design
2000-10-14	Field Trip- Ossabaw Island -
2000-10-19	The Jekyll Island Club, "Recalled to Life" - Sue Anderson, Public Relations Director at the Jekyll Island Hotel
2000-11-16	"St. Catherines Island Wildlife Survival Center: Conservation of Vanishing Species" Jeff Spratt, Curator St. Catherines Survival Center
2000-12-13	Christmas party at Belvedere Island Plantation
2001-01-18	Bessie Mary Lewis and McIntosh County History - Buddy Sullivan LAHS Meeting, January 18, 2001, 7:00 P.M. — St. Andrew’s Parish House "Bessie Mary Lewis and McIntosh County History" will be the program presented by Buddy Sullivan. Buddy was a protégé of McIntosh County historian Bessie Lewis, having known her during his adolescence and spent many hours with her learning about the history of McIntosh County. Bessie Lewis was the county historian from the 1920s until her death in 1983. Buddy has since "sort of’ assumed that role, following in Bessie ‘S footsteps and carrying forward much of her research. Lewis specialized in the Scottish history and colonial history of Darien ad the McIntosh County region. Her small book, "They called Their Town Darien ", was published in 1975 and was primarily the result of her many years of research into the formative years of the town and county. She was the editor of the weekly newspaper in McIntosh County in the I 940s and wrote a popular feature column called "So Sings the Mighty River ", a series of stories about the Altamaha River region. She later wrote the popular "Low Country Diary" column in the Darien News. Lewis did the early primary research about Fort King George. Her work on the fort was largely responsible for its becoming a state property and eventually a state museum and historic site. Buddy Sullivan is on Board of Curators of the Georgia Historical Society an serves as Vice-President for Coastal Georgia for this organization. He is President of Richmond Hill Historical Society, and immediate past president 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. His primary areas of research interests are nineteenth century tidewater rice cultivation and Georgia coastal maritime and navigational history.
2001-02-15	The Scots of McIntosh - Michael Higgins LAHS Meeting, February 15, 2001, 7:00 P.M. — St. Andrew’s Parish House "The Scots in McIntosh" will be the program, presented by Michael Higgins. Mr. Higgins reviews the history of the Scottish presence in Georgia, their contributions to the society, and the impact on the history of the area and the country. He also brings in some of the interesting customs and side lights of the Scots. Michael P. Higgins, vice president of the Propeller Club, Port of Brunswick was born in Chicago. His family moved to New Jersey, and then South Carolina. He holds degrees from Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Ga. and The State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, New York. Michael was a founder of the Confederate Navy Historical Society and served as Project Manager for the CSS Alabama project. He served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Ocean Law & Policy. His efforts resulted in a treaty between the United States and France, with France respecting U.S. title in the wreck of CSS Alabama and her associated artifacts, and the return of her artifacts to the United States. He sailed on oceanographic research ships for Columbia University and Duke University as scientific crew, and later for American President Lines on containerships and Military Sealift Command tankers. He served as a shore captain and port manager for Wallenius Lines. He will soon be involved with the development of his own marine/air cargo handling equipment company — ICS, Integrated Cargo Systems, LLC. Currently a resident of Darien, he will relocate to Atlanta.
2001-03-15	Shadow Chasers: The Woolfolk Tragedy Revisited by Carolyn DeLoach author LAHS Meeting, March 15, 2001, 7:00 P.M. — St. Andrew’s Parish House Shadow Chasers: The Woolfolk Tragedy Revisited, will be the program presented by the author, Carolyn DeLoach. Ms. DeLoach, with 30 years of knowledge about this case, will bring to this program her historical artifacts, photographs, and visual aids. In addition, forensic and historical research techniques will be discussed. This tragedy has been called" The Murder of the Century". In the early morning hours of August 6, 1887, in rural Bibb County, Georgia, Captain Richard Woolfolk and eight members of his family died at the hands of an axe murderer. A single member of the household survived the attack, Torn Woolfolk, the Captain’s eldest son, escaped the slaughter and sounded the alarm, only to be arrested for the crime. On October 29, 1890, after languishing in jail, chained to the wall of his cell for three years, enduring countless trials, he calmly climbed the steps to the gallows, proclaimed his innocence for one last time, and forgave those who were about to kill him. After extensive research and in vivid descriptions, Carolyn DeLoach has been able to capture the emotions of the period. It is a factual account of one of the most horrendous crimes in the history of the State of Georgia, as told by some of the actual participants, in their own words. Ms. DeLoach guides the reader through the tangled web of tragic events and subtly presents haunting new evidence that reveals the actual mass murderers were protected by the political forces of the State and an innocent man was sacrificed. The killers of the Woolfolk family went on to kill again because authorities ignored evidence that would have brought the real killers to justice. Carolyn DeLoach will autograph books which will be available at the meeting.
2001-04-19	God, Dr. Buzzard and the Bolito Man by Cornelia Walter Bailey author
2001-05-17	The History of Hofwyl- Broadfield Plantation - Bill Gates, Superintendent - Manager Hofwyl- Broadfield Plantation
2001-06-21	Mary, Queen of Scots - Charles H. Haws, B.A.,Ph. D.
2001-07-18	Picnic Supper- Fort King George Historic Site
2001-08-16	"Will they Fight" A Look at African American soldiers during the Civil War - Patrick Shell, Chief Ranger at Fort Frederica National Monument
2001-09-20	Middle School students from Darien, Georgia, visit the Scottish Highlands - 3 students
2001-09-22	Historical Marker Unveiling - Burning of Darien
2001-10-13	Field Trip - Fort Jackson in Savannah
2001-10-18	Show and Tell
2001-11-15	Images of America - St.Mary's and Camden County - Patricia Barefoot
2001-12-12	Christmas party at Belvedere Island Plantation
2002-01-17	Medicine & Treatment in Eighteenth Century America - Scott Hodges
2002-02-21	Military Operations in Coastal Georgia during the Civil War - Buddy Sullivan
2002-03-21	Life and Times of Scots in Darien - Dr. Anthony W. Parker, FCS, ILTM, Director, School of American Studies, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK
2002-04-18	"Muskets, Knives and Bloody Marsh " The Fight for Coastal Georgia - Judson J. Conner
2002-05-16	British Seamen at The American Revolution - James J. Thompson
2002-06-20	"Confederate Submarine H. L. Hunley, history, recovery, ongoing restoration" - Randall B. Burbage, Hunley Commission
2002-07-18	Picnic Supper - Fort King George Historic Site
2002-08-15	Nineteenth Century Maritime Operations - Port of Darien - Gerhard Schwisor
2002-09-19	Historic Georgia Hurricane Landfalls : 1804- 1898 - Al Sandrik, Senior Forecaster, National Weather Service Office in Jacksonville, Florida
2002-10-17	Widow of Sighing Pines, and The Dodge Land Troubles, 1868-1923 by Jane Walker author
2002-11-2	Field Trip - Lantern Tour of Laurel Grove Cemetery
2002-11-21	Christophe Poulain DuBignon of Jekyll Island - Martha L. Keber, Ph. D.
2002-12-11	Christmas party at Belvedere Island Plantation
2003-01-16	No Enemy But Time by William C. Harris, Jr. author
2003-01-25	Dedication of two Historical Markers - Sapelo Island & The Port of Darien
2003-02-20	TBD
2003-03-20	Historical Sailing - Southeastern Coast, Coastal Water and Sailing Ships During Three Centuries of Commerce and Wars - Joseph S. Jurskis
2003-04-17	Coastal Issues of the Southeast - Roger Pinckney - lives on Daufuskie Island, S.C.
2003-05-15	Georgia Historical Society - the founding and history - Mandi Johnson, Visual Materials Archivist at Georgia Historical Society
2003-06-19	All Under Bank, Roswell King, Jr. and Plantation Management in Tidewater Georgia, 1819- 1854 by Buddy Sullivan, author
2003-07-10	Picnic Supper - Sapelo Island Visitors Center
2003-08-21	Running The River: Poleboats, Steamboats & Timber Rafts on the Altamaha, Ocmulgee, Oconee & Ohoopee by Carlton A. Morrison, author
2003-09-18	Potable Ground Water in Southeast Georgia - Jim Harris, engineer with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division
2003-10-07	Field Trip - Sapelo
2003-10-16	Show and Tell
2003-11-20	Georgia: A State History, 1733-2000 by Buddy Sullivan, author
2003-12-11	Christmas party at Belvedere Island Plantation
2004-01-15	"Old Meeting House Project — Georgia’s Lost Fort" will be the program, presented by Michael P. Higgins.
2004-02-19	"OUT OF SAVANNAH -- DOG COMPANY, USMCR" will be the program, presented by the author, James Edward McAleer.
2004-03-18	"Dinah on Scottish Heritage" will be the program, presented by Dinah Jackson. Dinah has a large collection of documented stories of the early Scottish families of McIntosh County.
2004-04-15	"Above the Fall Line, The Trail from White Pine Cabin" will be the program, presented by the author Amy Blackmarr.
2004-05-08	LAHS Field Trip —Cruise up Altamaha River
2004-05-11	Presented Buddy Sullivan Scholarship
2004-05-20	"Anna The Letters of a St Simons Island Plantation Mistress, 1817 - 1859" will be the program, presented by Melanie Pavich-Lindsay
2004-06-17	"Hello, Goodbye, I Love You: The Story of Aloha, A Guide Dog for the Blind" will be the program, presented by Pamela Bauer Mueller.
2004-07-15	Fellowship Picnic Supper for LAHS members and guest
2004-08-19	"Windows To The Deep" will be the program, presented by Margaret Olsen.
2004-09-16	"When Jefferson Dined Alone: An Evening With Thomas Jefferson" the life and legacy of one of our most enigmatic founding fathers, will be the program, presented by Stan Deaton.
2004-10-21	Homeland Security and FLETC’s Mission, will be the program presented by Rick Shelnutt and Tony Blanda.
2004-10-23	"A Visit to Seabrook Village" , Liberty County, Georgia
2004-11-18	"A Great Day for the Georgia Navy" will be the program, presented by Bill Ramsaur of St. Simons Island and Jerry Braddock of Charleston.
2004-12-08	LAHS Christmas Covered Dish Dinner Party. Belvedere Island Plantation Club House

JANUARY 20, 2005, 7:00 P.M.	"Dodge Land Troubles" will be the program, presented by Chris Trowell, co-author of a new book by this title by Jane Walker & Chris Trowell. The sets of this study focuses on the Big Bend Region of the Ocmulgee River. During the post-Civil War period wealthy and organized entrepreneurs moved onto the economic and political vacuum existing in the South, William E, Dodge and William Pitt Eastman were the principal figures, which acquired vast tracts of timber, built large sawmills at St. Simons Island and Darien, and extracted the previously unexploited resources.
February 17, 2005, 7:00 P.M.	"Memories from the Marshes of Glynn: World War II" will be the program presented by Sonja Olsen Kinard. German U-boats lurked off the Atlantic coast, torpedoing American supply ships and depositing spies along the eastern seaboard.., blackouts were imposed... sirens alerted citizens that an air raid was eminent. The war was brought to American shores when two oil tankers were torpedoed about 15 miles off St. Simons Island. Olaf Helmer Olsen, resident of St. Simons, father of two young girls Thora and Sonja, was the first to reach the tragedy.
March 17, 2005, 7:00 P.M.	"Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Island" will be the program presented by Elizabeth Shields Hines. In May of 2004 over 70 sea turtles washed up on Georgia’s beaches including the highly endangered Kemp’s Ridley, green and leatherback turtles, as well as the threatened loggerheads. While most were dead , three turtles were forced to be transferred to rehabilitation facilities in other states, with one dying during transport.
APRIL 21, 2005, 7:00 P.M,	Speaker for the evening will be McIntosh County historian Buddy Sullivan, Director Emeritus of LAHS, who will provide insight to members on an unusual topic. Buddy will share some of his research regarding the presence of mosquitoes, and mosquito-related illnesses, in McIntosh County and how these issues have affected local history, from a societal, cultural, and economic standpoint, as well as from the obvious perspective of local health.
May 19, 2005 – 7:00 pm	"Fort Pulaski , 1862" will be the program, presented by John Breen. In the year 1862, the compelling events at Fort Pulaski, Savannah, affected the course of United States history. This story will be told by John Breen, who for seventeen years was superintendent of Fort Pulaski National Monument.
JUNE 16, 2005, 7:00 P.M.	The Altamaha River will be the program, presented by James Holland, the Altamaha Riverkeeper. The Altamaha River and its headwaters-the Ocmulgee, Ohoopee and Oconee-make up is Georgia’s largest watershed and it is critical to the states ecological and economic future. The Altamaha River Delta provides food for thousands of migratory birds from around the world.
Thursday, July 28, 2005, 5:30 P.M.	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 Fried Chicken, drinks, paper products. Fellowship and socializing will be the fare for the evening. There is no program planned.
AUGUST 18, 2005, 7:00 P.M.	"Fort Stewart Museum–the progress and processes and future" will be the program presented by Walter W. Meeks, III, Museum Director/Curator, Fort Stewart Museum, Fort Stewart, Georgia. Included in this presentation will be an over view of the mission of the museum, its de facto role in the Fort Stewart community and a few "sea stories" from Meeks, twenty three years as a museum professional
September 15, 2005, 7:00 P.M.	"Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge – Past and Present" will be the program, presented by Patricia E. Metz and Richard S. Kanaski. The Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge has operated a most effective program in McIntosh County since 1962. A new office with new programs was dedicated at the Refuge earlier this year. The Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge contributes a valuable service to this community. The current "Wood Stork Project" will be of special interest .
October 20, 2005, 7:00 P.M.	"Darien, Roswell, Marietta and Sackets Harbor, NY - 1842 -- l870" will be the program, presented by Connie Cox and Stephanie Curtis. In 1836, Roswell King, Sr., his son Barrington and other members of his coastal Georgia circle migrated inland to Cobb County where they founded the towns of Roswell and Lebanon, near the Chattahoochee River.
November 11, 2005	Trip to Cumberland Island It is strongly recommended that participants arrive not later than 11:00 am at the St. Marys dock, allowing for time to find a parking place.
November 17, 2005, 7:00 P.M.	"Five Centuries of Book Arts" will be the program, presented by David W. Miller, Superintendent, Historic Ashantilly Press. The arts of wood cuts, making of lead type, setting of lead type, layout, paper, printing and bindings has been practiced for ages to create a book.
Wednesday Evening, December 7, 5:30 pm	Decorated for Christmas, the Belvedere Island Plantation Club House will be the setting for the 2005 LAHS Holiday Celebration. Howard and Jeanne Klippel will be our host for the evening.