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The Day On Tyb e e By Kathy Black-Dennis,
Historical Preservation Commissioner
THE CREEPIER SIDE OF TYBEE
Although it is still relatively sweltering on Tybee, we do start to anticipate
cooler weather, oyster roasts, and football. As fall begins its descent, however,
many people’s thoughts also seem to wander to creepier pursuits and
interests. People have always been intrigued with questions about the afterlife
or the paranormal, the shades of who we were that may or may not flicker just
beyond the vale. As a museum professional, I am often asked questions about
experiences that staff members might have encountered in the buildings and
fortifications whose care is entrusted to Tybee Island
Historical Society. In these situations, I typically try to
maneuver away from that topic as quickly and quietly
as possible. Nothing derails a history tour quite like the
mention of ghosts, but I will concede that Tybee Island
has her own treasure trove of creepy tales.
Savannah was founded in 1733, but concrete records
of European home sites and permanent residences
on Tybee really began with the first Lighthouse House
Keepers who came to the island after the completion
of the first Tybee Island Lighthouse in 1736. Clay discs,
marked with what appears to be Spanish insignia,
was found on the north end of the island, and strongly
suggests Spanish exploration in the 16th Century. It is also known that
indigenous Americans used this island for hunting and fishing for countless
years before that. The point is, people have been living and dying here for a
long time. Two wars have touched Tybee Island; there have been numerous
fires, hurricanes, and horrible outbreaks of nasty diseases like yellow fever
and malaria. We have all of the factors necessary to create an atmosphere rife
with historically grounded haunts.
There are no stories tied to Tybee Island more chilling than the records of
the quarantine hospital that was located at the mouth of the Lazaretto Creek.
In 1767, after the slave trade was legalized in the colony of Georgia, 104 acres
were purchased from Josiah Tatnall at the westernmost point of the island
for the establishment of a quarantine hospital. The word lazaretto is rooted in
Italian and translates roughly to mean “pest house,” but the quarantine hospital
4 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | OCT 2018
was, in actuality, a dumping ground for those who showed symptoms of
disease or illness before their boat made it all the way into Savannah. If one
was willfully immigrating to this country through the port of Savannah or if
they were at the end of violent and filthy Middle Passage traveled by slave
ships, many poor souls made it no further than the mouth of Lazaretto Creek.
There was no effective treatment for Yellow Fever during the period in
which the Lazaretto Quarantine Hospital was in operation, and the disease
was excruciating with many people suffering from
fever, pain, vomiting, bleeding, and delirium. Many
people’s eyes and skin would turn yellow as their liver
failed. When combined with the heat, lack of modern
medicine, and the bugs, it is truly horrifying. Those
who did recover were permitted to leave the hospital
and re-join society, unless you were brought to this
country from Africa against your will, in which case
you were then delivered to the unspeakable destiny
that was slavery. Those who succumbed to disease are
said to reside in an untold number of unmarked graves
scattered over that part of Tybee.
The quarantine hospital at Lazaretto Creek was
closed in 1785 as it was reported to have fallen into “ruinous condition,”
but for 18 years people lived, worked, suffered, and breathed their last in
conditions that we can barely imagine. As you drive the Tybee Road and
your eye happens to scan the view of the westernmost point of the island,
remember those people and, as the season turns to a creepier time of year,
perhaps wonder if their shades might linger just on the other side of the vale.
Thank you to Desiree Wood, Director of Education and Membership,
Tybee Island Historical Society for this month’s article. We’d like to hear your
ideas for historical columns too! Just e-mail me at kjbd241@aol.com. As
always, you are welcome to attend the Tybee Island Historical Preservation
Commission meetings on the third Monday of each month from 6-7 pm at
the City Hall Auditorium.
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