About Tybee Island

Tybee Island is an island and a present-day city in Chatham County, Georgia near the city of Savannah. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,392. The island, which includes the city of the same name, had a population of 3,713.

Tybee Island may be best known outside of Georgia as the home of the Tybee Bomb, a nuclear weapon that was lost offshore on February 5, 1958. Officially renamed "Savannah Beach" in a publicity move at the end of the 1950s, the city of Tybee Island has since reverted to its original name (although maps show the use of the name "Savannah Beach" as far back as 1952 and as recently as the mid-1970s on official state maps). [3]. The small island, which has long been a quiet getaway for the residents of Savannah, has become a popular vacation spot with tourists from outside the Savannah metropolitan area.

Tybee Island is also the site of the first of what became the Days Inn chain of hotels.
Contents
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* 1 History
o 1.1 Lighthouse
o 1.2 Ft. Screven historic district
o 1.3 Tybee Island in the Civil War
* 2 Geography
* 3 Demographics
* 4 Attractions
* 5 References
* 6 External links

History

Tybee Island was originally inhabited by the Euchee Native American tribe and gave the island its name: tybee is a Euchee word for salt.

Later, in the 1500s the Spanish laid claim to the island and named it Los Bajos. It was at the northern end of the Guale missionary province of Spanish Florida. During that time the island was frequented by pirates who used the island to hide from those who pursued them. Pirates later used the island’s inland waterways for a fresh water source. After the founding of South Carolina in 1670, warfare increased between the English and Spanish and their allied Indians as well as South Carolina's pirate allies. In 1702 James Moore of South Carolina led an invasion of Spanish Florida with an Indian army and a fleet of pirates. The invasion failed to take the capital of Florida, St. Augustine, but did destroy the Guale and Mocama missionary provinces, raiding and enslaving Indians throughout the Sea Islands, including Tybee Island. After another invasion of Spanish Florida by South Carolina in 1704, Spanish power was limited to St. Augustine and Pensacola and the Sea Islands were depopulated, allowing the establishment of new English settlements such as the colony of Georgia.

In 1733 English settlers led by James Oglethorpe settled on Tybee Island before moving on to settle eventually in Savannah. In 1736 John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, arrived on Tybee Island.

Lighthouse
Tybee Island Light Station today
Tybee Island Light Station today

The Tybee Island Light Station is one of just a handful of 18th century lighthouses still in operation in North America. First built in the year 1736, the lighthouse was made of brick and wood,and was standing 90 feet tall, making it the highest structure in America at that time.

Today the Tybee Lighthouse is a popular tourist destination, having all of its support buildings on the five-acre site historically preserved. The current black and white tower markings is a reversion to its fourth day mark, first used in 1916

See Tybee Island Light Station

Ft. Screven historic district

Ft. Screven was first commissioned in 1899 and was named for General Joseph Screven, a Revolutionary War hero who was killed in action near Midway, Georgia, in 1778. The Fort served as a valuable part of coastal defense until it was decommissioned in 1947. Fort Screven is most notable for one of its former Commanding Officers, George C. Marshall, later a general famous for the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Western Europe after WWII. Very little remains of the original Fort buildings due to redevelopment of the area for housing. One of the most important remaining structures is the Tybee Post Theater which was constructed in 1930. It was one of the first theaters in Georgia to have sound features and was the highlight of recreational activities for the Fort. Other remaining buildings include the recently restored Guard House; Bakery, now a private home; and barracks, now apartments. The ruins of the beach fortifications are also extant; and of the six original batteries, Battery Garland, 1899, is accessible to the public. Battery Garland houses the Tybee Museum and several cannons and other military hardware are on display. Another remaining area is Officer's Row, an impressive group of original homes that had a sweeping an ocean view. One of these homes is now a bed and breakfast.

See Tybee Post Theater

Tybee Island in the Civil War
“Map of Siege of Fort Pulaski, Savannah River Georgia, 1862.” Period map drawn by Robert K. Sneden showing Union batteries on Tybee Island.
“Map of Siege of Fort Pulaski, Savannah River Georgia, 1862.” Period map drawn by Robert K. Sneden showing Union batteries on Tybee Island.

During the American Civil War, Tybee Island was the site of siege batteries used by Union Army in their successful bombardment of Fort Pulaski on April 10-11, 1862. This was the first significant use of rifled cannons against masonry fortifications and demonstrated that masonry fortifications were obsolete. Despite their significance, the Union batteries remain unrecognized as an historical site.

Geography

Tybee Island is located at [show location on an interactive map] 32°0′24″N, 80°50′58″W (32.006672, -80.849374)[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.674 square miles (6.925 km²).Of this, 2.5575 square miles (6.624 km²) is land and 0.3008 km² (0.1161 sq mi, or 4.344%) is water. The entire island (as distinguished from the city of the same name) has a land area of 56.645 km² (21.871 sq mi).

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,392 people, 1,568 households, and 901 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,326.3 people per square mile (511.6/km²). There were 2,696 housing units at an average density of 1,054.2/sq mi (406.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.93% White, 1.89% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.

There were 1,568 households out of which 15.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.62.

In the city the population was spread out with 13.8% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,741, and the median income for a family was $58,462. Males had a median income of $45,833 versus $30,694 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,406. About 5.3% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

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