Isle of Hope

Walking Bluff Drive on a quiet and breezy weekend afternoon, one can almost see the Grayson men relaxing on a bench under the massive live oaks and palm trees, enjoying a cool drink and the magnificent view.

A Resort Destination

Savannah’s Advantages as a Winter Resort for Invalids – During several years past it is estimated that between fourteen and fifteen thousand persons have stopped in Savannah [in search of]… their fondest dreams of recreation, repose and amusement.  – From the 1875 “Savannah Pleasure Guide”

In the late 1800’s Isle of Hope, the terminus of the main line of the Savannah, Skidaway, and Seaboard Railroad, was a popular resort destination which boasted “[A]mple accommodations for all. A bowling alley, billiard saloon and dancing hall are attached to the premises Immediately in front of this hotel, a mammoth platform, covered and railed in, extending from the bluff over the water, 60 by 80 feet, has been constructed. Around this platform (the roof of which is composed of palmetto branches which flourish in the vicinity) are arranged comfortable seats. Beneath and at the extremity of the platform, three bath houses are erected, connected with dressing rooms in such a manner that the utmost privacy is secured.  A short distance from this point, in a beautiful grove of mammoth oaks, draped in hanging veils of Spanish moss, is another platform for dancing. At and around these umbrageous oaks are placed circular seats or benches, whilst on the river bank immediately in front, conveniently arranged, are rustic seats, where one can sit in sweet serenity and contemplate the goodly scene.”

“Noble” Beginnings

Located six and a half miles from Savannah on the Skidaway River, Isle of Hope was probably named by its first resident Noble Jones, one of the original settlers of the English Colony of Georgia who arrived in 1733 with its founder James Oglethorpe. Jones called his estate Wormslow, later changed to Wormsloe by a descendant, possibly in the founders’ failed “Hope” that the silkworms inhabiting the mulberry trees on the plantation would lead to a booming silk export. The Wormsloe Historic Site on Isle of Hope now draws visitors to enjoy gardens, walking trails, picnic grounds, and a museum.

Streetcar Suburb

From a straggling settlement it has grown to a pretty village, and is the summer home of many Savannahians. In an air line Isle of Hope is four miles from the ocean, and is directly opposite Skidaway Island. Not only as a place of visitation, but as a winter residence, Isle of Hope is one of the most charming and beautiful rural retreats on the coast. – From the 1890 guide “Savannah and its Surroundings” by G.A. Gregory

It was our house first!

Our great-grandfather William L. Grayson (1870-1941) was a prominent citizen of Savannah, a Spanish-American War Veteran, and the Chatham County Superior Court Clerk. Col. Grayson purchased the ca. 1872 Isaac Beckett House at 9 Bluff Drive as a summer home and weekend retreat for his large family sometime around 1920. Family lore insists that in 1933 his son Leon proposed to Mary Bell on the dock extending over the Skidaway by threatening to jump into the river unless she agreed to marry him. Depending in the tide, the drop can be significant. Mary’s aunt owned a nearby home on Bluff Drive, so it is likely the couple had a number of trysts on the Island. On a 1995 visit my wife Jean was taking photos of the house and the dock. The then-homeowner was working on his boat at the end of the pier, and I cautioned her to be more discrete. “It was our house first!” she defiantly proclaimed. (Note: the Graysons sold it more than 50 years before). Having been married only about a year at that point I appreciated her sense of ownership.

Now a National Historic District, Isle of Hope reportedly remains much as it was in the 1930’s, having resisted multi-family housing and modern amenities like streetlights to retain its charming architectural and natural scenic beauty. Walking Bluff Drive on a quiet and breezy weekend afternoon, one can almost see the Grayson men relaxing on a bench under the massive live oaks and palm trees, enjoying a cool drink and the magnificent view.