Wormsloe Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wormsloe Plantation
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Savannah, Georgia |
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| Built | 1739 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000615 |
| Added to NRHP | April 26, 1973 |
The Wormsloe Historic Site, also known as Wormsloe Plantation, is a special historical place near Savannah, Georgia. It's in the southeastern part of the United States. This site covers about 822 acres (3.3 km2). It protects a part of what was once a big estate called Wormsloe Plantation.
This estate was started by Noble Jones (around 1700-1775). He was one of the people who helped create the Georgia colony. The site has a beautiful 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long road lined with oak trees. You can also see the old ruins of Jones's strong house, which was made of a special concrete called tabby. There's a museum and an area where you can see how people lived long ago.
In 1736, Noble Jones received land on the Isle of Hope. This land became the main part of Wormsloe. He built a strong house on the island's tip. It looked over the Skidaway Narrows, a key part of the Skidaway River. This spot was important for defense.
The house was part of a group of forts. These forts were set up by James Oglethorpe, who founded Georgia. They helped protect Savannah from possible attacks. Later, Jones developed Wormsloe into a small plantation. His family then built a large house there. They used it as a country home.
The State of Georgia bought most of Wormsloe Plantation in 1973. It opened to the public as a historic site in 1979.
Contents
Exploring Wormsloe's Location
The Isle of Hope is an island or peninsula. It's about 11 miles (18 km) southeast of downtown Savannah. This area is part of Georgia's coastal plain. The island is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide.
The Skidaway River is on the island's east side. This river is part of the Intracoastal Waterway. The Moon River is on the southwest, and the Herb River is on the northwest. Like other islands here, it's surrounded by a tidal salt marsh. Skidaway Island is across the Skidaway River to the east. The Georgia mainland is across the Moon River to the west. Wormsloe covers most of the southern part of the Isle of Hope.
A small island called Long Island sits between Skidaway Island and the Isle of Hope. It splits the Skidaway River into two narrow paths. The main path is called the Skidaway Narrows. In the past, the main path was between Long Island and the Isle of Hope. This made Wormsloe a very important spot for defense.
By water, the Isle of Hope is just over 10 miles (16 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. It's also just over 10 miles (16 km) from the port of Savannah. Skidaway Road connects Wormsloe and the Isle of Hope to U.S. Route 80. This road is near downtown Savannah. The Isle of Hope is in Chatham County. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources manages Wormsloe Historic Site.
Wormsloe's Past: A Look Back
Early Days and Native Americans
People have lived on the Isle of Hope for thousands of years. This is known from old oyster shell piles found there. When European explorers arrived in the 1500s, the Yuchi and Creek tribe claimed the island. By 1733, when English colonists came to Savannah, the island was part of the Yamacraw land. The Yamacraw were a group related to the Creeks. The island seemed to be empty at that time.
James Oglethorpe, the leader of the English colonists, was friends with the Yamacraw chief Tomochichi. He was able to get the Savannah area and nearby lands peacefully.
In the late 1600s, Spain controlled the Georgia coast loosely. They had Native American allies. This led to fights with the growing English colonies to the north. In 1702, South Carolina's governor, James Moore, attacked Spanish settlements in Florida. On the way, he destroyed Spanish Native American missions off the Georgia coast. Spain still claimed the coast, but the area was mostly empty. This created a safe zone between Spanish Florida and the English colonies.
In the early 1730s, the English decided to settle the islands between the Carolinas and Florida. A special paper was given in 1732. The first colonists sailed that same year. They arrived in Savannah in 1733. This group formed the start of what would become Georgia. Among them was Noble Jones (died 1775). He was a doctor and carpenter from Lambeth, England. He sailed with his wife and two children. Jones knew Oglethorpe. Before they sailed, Jones was made one of the settlement's main leaders. Like other first settlers, Jones got a town lot in Savannah and a small farm.
Building Wormsloe: A New Beginning
Noble Jones asked for land on the Isle of Hope in 1736. He wanted 500 acres (2 km2). The leaders approved this in 1745. He started building a strong house overlooking the Skidaway Narrows. The house was built between 1739 and 1745. It was made of wood and tabby. Tabby is a simple concrete made from oyster shells and lime.
The fort had 8-foot (2.4 m) high walls. It had strong points at each of its four corners. The fort house had 1.5 stories and five rooms. Oglethorpe gave Jones's fort 12 soldiers. They also had a scout boat to patrol the river. Jones named his estate "Wormslow." This name likely came from Wormslow Hundred, England, where his family was from. Some people think the name came from Jones trying to raise silkworms there. But his son named his own plantation "Lambeth" after his birthplace. So, the first idea is probably more correct.
Noble Jones's strong house was one of many forts. These forts were built between Frederica and Savannah. The English worried that Spain still claimed the area. They thought Spain might try to force them out. A conflict started in 1739. It was called the War of Jenkins' Ear. This was part of a bigger war. Jones fought in an English attack in Florida in 1740. He also helped defend Frederica in the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742. The war ended in 1748. This greatly reduced Spanish threats to the new colony.
The War of Jenkins' Ear is remembered every year. It's celebrated on the last Saturday in May at Wormsloe Plantation.
Wormsloe Before the Civil War
Georgia's first rules did not allow slavery. So, Noble Jones used indentured servants to work at Wormsloe in the early years. These were people who agreed to work for a set time to pay for their trip to America. When the rules changed in 1749, Jones used forced labor to make Wormsloe profitable.
Jones first planted many crops. These included corn, rice, fruits, and vegetables. He might have also grown indigo. The Georgia leaders wanted people to make silk. Jones planted mulberry trees and tried to make silk at Wormsloe, but it didn't work well. Wormsloe itself never made a lot of money. But Jones gained a lot of land and wealth during his life. He owned 5,500 acres (22 km2) and five town lots in Savannah. Jones also served the colony in many ways. He was a judge, a military captain, and a lawmaker.
When Noble Jones died in 1775, Wormsloe went to his daughter, Mary Jones Bulloch (around 1730-1795). Jones died just as the American colonies were about to break away from England. Jones stayed loyal to King George III his whole life. This often put him against his son, Noble Wimberly Jones (1723–1805). His son strongly supported the American Revolution. Noble Wimberly led Georgia's government in saying no to the Townshend Acts in 1768. He also helped take a large amount of gunpowder in 1776.
Noble Jones's will said that after his daughter died, Wormsloe would go to Noble Wimberly. Then it would go to Noble Wimberly's children "forever." So, Noble Wimberly got Wormsloe in 1795 when his sister died. He gave the plantation to his son George Jones (1766–1838) in 1804.
George Jones was a U.S. senator. He also held many jobs in the Savannah government. He built a new, fancier house at Wormsloe in 1828. This is the plantation house that is still there today. He also made cotton a main crop on the plantation. Jones's son, George Frederick Tilghman Jones (1827–1880), inherited Wormsloe in 1857.
George Frederick Tilghman Jones cared a lot about Wormsloe. He changed the spelling from "Wormslow" to "Wormsloe." He made the gardens bigger and added the first road lined with oak trees. He also made the house larger. He changed his name to George Wimberley Jones De Renne. He started publishing rare old Georgia documents. These were called the Wormsloe Quartos.
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), Wormsloe and the Isle of Hope were protected by Confederate soldiers. When Union soldiers captured Savannah in 1864, the Jones/De Renne family had to leave. The U.S. government took the plantation. They took property from people who supported the Confederacy. But the property was given back to De Renne. President Andrew Johnson gave him a full pardon.
Wormsloe in the 1900s
In his will, George Wimberley Jones De Renne put Wormsloe in the care of an insurance company. This was until his son, Wimberley Jones De Renne (1853–1916), died. Then the estate would go to his grandchildren. Wimberley Jones De Renne kept up Wormsloe. He made the gardens even bigger. He planted a new oak tree road, which is still used today. It has over 400 oak trees. He continued his father's work in history. He published several works for the Georgia Historical Society. He also started Wormsloe's library. When he died in 1916, Wormsloe went to George Wimberley Jones De Renne's grandchildren. In 1917, one grandson, Wymberley Wormsloe De Renne (1891–1966), bought his cousins' shares of the plantation.
In 1930, after the stock market crash, Elfrida De Renne Barrow (1884–1970) took over her brother Wymberly's debts. She eventually made the plantation her main home. Barrow created the Wormsloe Foundation. This group continued to publish books about Georgia history.
In 1961, Barrow gave most of the Wormsloe estate to the Wormsloe Foundation. She kept ownership of Wormsloe House and the area right around it. In 1972, the Wormsloe Foundation lost its tax-free status. So, the foundation gave Wormsloe to the Nature Conservancy. They then gave it to the State of Georgia the next year. In 1979, the state opened the site to the public as Wormsloe Historic Site. Noble Jones's family still owns Wormsloe House and the land around it.
Visiting Wormsloe Historic Site Today
The arched entrance to Wormsloe is off Skidaway Road. It's near the Isle of Hope community. The area managed by the state includes the beautiful oak-lined road. There's also a museum. A walking trail leads through the thick forest to the ruins of the tabby fort. This fort was built by Jones in 1745.
More recently, the park has created a colonial life area. Here, you can see how people lived long ago. It has a copy of a wattle and daub hut. This type of hut is made from woven branches and mud. There are also small buildings that show what a living area for Jones's soldiers and forced laborers might have looked like.
The Wormsloe site is in a thick forest of oak and pine trees. Much of this forest was there before Europeans settled the Isle of Hope. But in the 1970s, a beetle problem killed most of the old pine trees. A short trail near the museum shows pictures of animals and birds. These were drawn by an 18th-century nature artist named Mark Catesby.
Images for kids
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Oak avenue in winter, built early 1890s
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Wormsloe's oak avenue in summer
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Replica colonial wattle-and-daub hut
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Interior of waddle-and-daub hut
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Portrait of James Oglethorpe
