Pin Point, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pin Point, Georgia
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 Pin Point, Georgia
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
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| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Chatham |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 332668 |
Pin Point is a small community in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. It is about 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Savannah. Pin Point is known for its special Gullah-speaking community. It is also the birthplace of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
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Pin Point's History
Pin Point was started by freed people after slavery ended in the United States. This happened after the Civil War. People from nearby islands like Ossabaw and Skidaway settled here in the 1890s.
In 1897, these settlers built the Sweetfield of Eden Baptist Church. Later, in 1926, a special school was built in Pin Point. This was a Rosenwald school, part of a program to build better schools for African American children in the South. At that time, schools for African American children often did not have enough money.
Location and Nature
Pin Point is located next to Shipyard Creek, which is a part of the Moon River. The area around Pin Point has many large oak trees and coastal marshes. These marshes are wet, grassy areas near the coast. They are home to crabs and oysters.
For many years, from the 1920s to the 1980s, the main way people in Pin Point earned money was by canning crabs and oysters. This means they would prepare and seal these seafood items in cans.
The Gullah Community
Pin Point is still a small community where most people are African American. It has a strong Gullah community. The Gullah people have kept many traditions from their ancestors. These ancestors were captured in West Africa and brought to the United States as enslaved people.
Gullah Language
The Gullah language is spoken in Pin Point. It is a unique language that mixes English with African languages. It is the only English-based creole language in the United States. A creole language is a language that develops from a mix of different languages.
It is not known exactly how many people in Pin Point speak Gullah. However, along the southeastern coast, there are about 5,000 people who speak some Gullah. About 300 people speak it fluently.
Clarence Thomas and Gullah
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas grew up speaking Gullah. He has said that he was shy about speaking in an all-white school when he was a teenager. His classmates sometimes made fun of him for not speaking "standard English." This experience made him quieter.
The Pin Point Heritage Museum is dedicated to the Gullah/Geechee culture. It is located in what used to be the Varn and Sons Oyster and Crab Canning Factory.
