HISTORIC PRESERVATION ON TYBEE
By Kathy Black-Dennis
ANOTHER HISTORIC STRUCTURE SAVED!
Have you ever noticed the Fort Screven Enlisted Men’s Barracks on Meddin Dr.? Do you remember what it used to look like? Did you ever live there? Well, it is
sporting a new look now!
26 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | AUG 2019
What is its history?
The Enlisted Men’s Barracks was completed on July 11, 1910 for $24,523, as part of the Fort Screven Village (something tells me that won’t get you anything
today). Several identical barracks were constructed immediately to the north, however #76 is the only one still standing ... and it’s spectacular!
The Barracks held living and sleeping quarters for over 100 enlisted men in its 8,000 square feet. It was U shaped, two story, with a full-width two story front porch.
Palladian windows also graced the Barracks. There were pathways connecting the fort buildings and parade grounds (now Jaycee Park). Between this period and
the mid 1930’s, several agencies utilized the property.
In 1938, the Barracks expanded to allow for an additional 15 men to occupy the building. By 1940, the eighth infantry left Fort Screven and the U.S. Corps of
Engineers used the facility for training exercises from 1941-1943.
The US War Department reclassified Fort Screven as surplus property and the military post was deactivated. The property was sold to the City of Tybee Island by the
Federal Housing Authority for $200,000. Tybee then sold much of the land to individuals and development corporations. In 1955, the Enlisted Men’s Barracks was
purchased and used for residential rentals, but mostly for storage. Most of the interior finishes were stripped, including the flooring, pressed tin ceilings, fixtures
and decorative columns. The Barracks stood in disrepair and neglect, vacant and under-utilized for much of the time since the fort was deactivated.
Several current Tybee residents lived there and have some pretty interesting stories to tell. We hope to have those stories in another column soon!
Cabretta Historic Tybee Barracks, LLC purchased the Enlisted Men’s Barracks in January 2018 to rehabilitate the building to be used for residential purposes.
They used state and federal historic tax incentives to help finance the project, which requires strict adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for
rehabilitation. Construction is now complete and the Barracks is once again ready to welcome new owners and ensure the property thrives in the years to come.
History, character, uniqueness, quirkiness, and a sense of home ... another piece of history saved. That’s what we are about. If you have a chance, drive by and see
this beauty and look out over the grounds and just imagine what those walls would say if they could talk!
*Information for this article was gleaned from a number of sources and documents.