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Hundreds of years ago, the Timucuan, Guale and Creek Indians saw it in the bounty of her fish and game and fertile lands. In the 1500s, French explorers saw it as a “country full of havens, rivers, and islands of such fruitfulness as cannot with tongue be expressed.” And in 1787, the British Colonial Council decided St. Marys would make a most desirable site for a city.

There’s something about St. Marys. And today, visitors are enchanted by her storybook setting on the St. Marys River. Her white picket fences and beckoning front porches. Her magnolias and wisteria. Her captivating streetscapes framed by canopies of majestic oaks draped in Spanish moss. Fragrant salt air and alluring waters. Quaint shops and charming Victorian inns. There is an unmistakable softening of life’s edges in St. Marys—an undeniable allure of history, romance and gentler people. Yet, an ever-present invitation to adventure as well.

There is something about St. Marys. Some say she’s the “jewel in the crown” of the Colonial Coast. Some speak of the intrigue of pirate lore and natural treasures that abound in and around her riverfront setting. Whether it’s beauty, tranquility, romance, excitement or mystery that calls one to St. Marys, it is a siren song few resist once they’ve made the lady’s most gracious acquaintance.

Warm smiles and kind words are second nature to St. Marys’ residents and business owners. There is the true essence of the Old South in St. Marys, and visitors are enchanted by the wry humor and embracing gestures that make them feel so welcome. Subtle Southern idiosyncrasies emerge from the unassuming nature of the people. “Shut,” says a sign in a downtown bakery when they’ve closed for the day. “Dead people’s stuff for sale,” announces one unpretentious antique dealer’s wares. It has been called the “best of a small town,” and the “best of the south,” by people whose hearts have been won over by this little coastal village. Money Magazine once named it, “Best Small Boomtown in America.” The American Dream Town Advisory Board voted it “America Dream Town 2004 for Georgia.” No matter one’s reason for visiting St. Marys—history, romance, adventure, culture, nature, or just to get rewarded with a heaping helping of Southern hospitality, one thing’s for certain. Visitors may leave St. Marys, but St. Marys will never leave them. Long into the future she’ll remain in their hearts and in their minds, and it will only take the swift scent of a lone gardenia, the golden glow of a waterfront sunset, or the gentle smile of a kind stranger to bring it all back. There is just something about St. Marys.

A Signature Lifestyle. A Captivating Setting.
Osprey Cove

Imagine … meandering tidal creeks and stately magnolias. Expansive salt marshes and untouched woodlands. Sweeping vistas of water-fingered trails jeweled by thick azalea understories. It would take but one aerial pass across the picturesque lands that comprise Osprey Cove to surmise the obvious: this is the living heart of the Georgia Low Country and the embodiment of all the beauty and quietude afforded by a world-class nature wonderland.
As if the setting alone were not enough to entice those aspiring to a lifestyle of privilege and distinction, Osprey Cove takes paramount living to the next level with masterpiece homes, a luxurious clubhouse, and a championship golf course.

The Homes
A premier setting calls for premier builders, and some of the most
distinguished builders in the southeast are creating showcase homes at Osprey Cove. From classic low-country to stately mini-mansions, the homes of Osprey Cove exude “privilege and distinction.” The red carpet was recently rolled out at Osprey Cove’s newest designer model homes, which give prospective residents an eloquent preview into their future life in their own custom homes. Whether they choose the solitude of a wooded preserve home site, the serenity of the marshfront, or the drama of golf views, residents will find themselves immersed in an enchanting ambience that only Mother Nature herself could create.
The Golf Course
The accolades accorded Osprey Cove’s Mark McCumber-designed golf course could fill volumes. From Golfweek’s “Top 5 in Georgia” designation to Golf Digest’s prestigious 4-star rating, clearly this award-winning championship course remains a favorite of professionals as well as players at all skill levels. Set against a backdrop of breathtaking vistas that define the St. Marys River basin, the fairways meld in effortless unity with the great outdoors as would be expected from a world-class course.
The Clubhouse
The Osprey Cove lifestyle defines
living as a “high art,” and nowhere is this ultimate lifestyle more emphatic than at the community’s Golf Club and River Club. Two million dollars was spent recently in the renovation of the golf clubhouse, presenting members with a private club experience like no other. Overlooking a double green with picturesque sweeps of the tidal
marshland in the background, the Terrace Grille sets the social scene with all the perks of private membership including culinary presentations by Osprey Cove’s own renowned chef. Guest suites are available for out of town guests and interested parties who would like their own preview of the Osprey Cove experience. Just down the street, The River Club features a private boat launch with direct deep-water access
to the Intracoastal Waterway, fitness center, Har-Tru tennis courts, junior Olympic pool, children’s pool and playground, and on-site boat storage.
As Osprey Cove’s final neighborhoods are opening up to unprecedented sales, it is easy to see why boaters, golfers, outdoor enthusiasts, and families who just enjoy the tranquil beauty of a low-country sanctuary are choosing to make Osprey Cove their home. With an envied St. Marys address and a location just 20 minutes from the Jacksonville International Airport, and a short drive to exciting destinations like St. Augustine, Jekyll Island, St. Simons Island and Savannah, Osprey Cove is increasingly becoming the neighborhood of choice for couples and families seeking luxury living on a higher level.

Just six minutes from the gates of Osprey Cove—also boasting a St. Marys address—lays the picture-perfect community of Winding River. Nostalgia reigns supreme at Winding River where baby boomers re-live the easy days of yesteryear, and children discover the abundance of nature and all her wonders: collecting fireflies, lakeside
picnics, gliding through the tidal creeks on a kayak, strolling through the
woodlands on rustic boardwalks, greeting friendly neighbors on an evening walk on sidewalks that line meandering streetscapes. A vivid slice of pure Americana lives richly at Winding River, and residents enjoy a distinct “softening of the edges” every time they return to their coastal retreat homes. Living at Winding River helps one understand why they call it the “great” outdoors.
The beautiful homes of Winding River are nestled in the open arms of some of the Low Country’s most striking landscapes—pristine woodlands, serene salt marshes, shimmering lakes and tidal tributaries. Crooked River State Park, just minutes away, is a great launching point for boating enthusiasts (on-site boat and RV storage is another perk for Winding River residents). An array of parks and interconnected trails throughout the community draws nature lovers of all ages into the sunshine that Coastal Georgia serves up in plentitude. And the social scene is as bountiful as Winding River’s natural beauty.
The Savannah Club will be the heartbeat of the community, an elegant gathering space with a fireplace and kitchen, comfy conversation nooks and game tables, a well-equipped fitness center, tennis courts, junior-Olympic swimming pool with a beach-like entry, and a wading pool and
playground for the little ones. The design of The Savannah Club embodies a fun lifestyle with ongoing events planned by the Winding River lifestyle director—wine tastings, gourmet cooking lessons, pizza parties for the kids—continuous offerings that reflect the residents’ interests and passions. Winding River residents have the added bonus of golf privileges on Osprey Cove’s private course.
The high touch of the Winding River lifestyle is
complimented by the high-tech advantage of living in a community planned by visionaries. The Landmar Group, developers of Winding River and Osprey Cove, is known nationally as a company that delivers distinctive lifestyles along with quality homes and extraordinary home sites. Their eStreet Neighborhood Network is the perfect example of how
cutting-edge communications technology can dramatically improve the quality of lifestyle on a daily basis. The eStreet network connects residents to the global internet community while linking them to each other in a community resident website as well, making it easy to access services offered by neighbors such as dog-walking or babysitting.
Both Winding River and Osprey Cove exemplify the harmonious blending of neighborhood with nature. Both offer sensational lifestyles and the timeless charm of low country living. Combined with the ultra-desirable Historic St. Marys address, this is surely how life was meant to be lived.

Steel Magnolias. Trailblazers.
Camden’s Founding Mothers

Much has been written about the founding fathers of St. Marys whose names grace the wood-carved street signs throughout the city—Osborne, Weed, Bryant and others—twenty men who, in 1787, paid the big sum of $38 each to purchase Buttermilk Bluff which became known as St. Marys. But much less has been written about the women who played a pivotal role in the growth of St. Marys and Camden County. What does a land baroness, an educator, an Acadian, and a general’s wife have in common? These are the women who helped shape the destiny of St. Marys. Some live only in our memories, and others continue to make an indelible mark on our beautiful town.
Catherine Littlefield Greene Miller Catherine Littlefield (Caty to her friends) was a vivacious little woman and a favorite of George and Martha Washington. Her husband, General Nathaniel Greene, was considered by Washington to be the best of his generals to succeed him. After General Greene’s premature death in 1786 at the young age of 44, Caty married her children’s tutor, Phinias Miller. The Millers befriended Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, and they poured their limited funds into his invention but were unable to protect his patent. The Millers moved to Cumberland Island where General Greene had purchased 7,000 acres of land. Caty is credited with building Cumberland Island’s first Dungeness. Her many friends included such legends as Lighthorse Harry Lee, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. After the
disastrous duel between Burr and Hamilton in which Hamilton was killed, Burr came south and asked to visit the Millers on the Island. Caty’s steadfast loyalty to her friend, Alexander Hamilton, kept her from receiving Burr, who arrived to an empty house when he landed on the island. Catherine Littlefield Greene Miller, “Loyal Friend,” died on Cumberland Island at the age of 60.
Rhoda Wadsworth Clark
Born in Litchfield, Connecticut, Rhoda Wadsworth Clark came to St. Marys in 1801 after marrying Archibald Clark who had taken the position of Customs Collector for the Port of St. Marys. Clark, the scion of a wealthy Savannah family, met Rhoda Wadsworth while attending Litchfield Law School.
During the War of 1812, when Admiral Cockburn and his sailors took St. Marys, Archibald Clark was imprisoned in the brig of the English ship because he refused to tell the admiral where the customs funds had been hidden. In retaliation, the admiral decided to burn Clark’s timber mill, and set sail up the St. Marys River. A friend of Clark’s, William Cone, rode ahead and he and others bushwhacked the ship and killed 28 British sailors.
At one point Admiral Cockburn took over the Clark home where Mrs. Clark and her children remained. It is alleged that Admiral Cockburn, upon seeing the English Crown design in Rhoda Clark’s parlor carpet said, “Madame, I see you have the Crown in your home.” Whereupon she replied, “Yes, and you’ll notice we have it under foot.”
The Clarks parented ten children. Sadly, seven died in childhood and one died in college. Their descendant, Tom Nesbitt, renovated the Clark home on Osborne Street, St. Marys’ oldest private residence, and lives there now with his wife, Catherine.
Matilda Harris
Known as the “Mother of Black Education in Camden County,” Matilda Harris was born in Camden County in 1857. Because at the time there were no public schools for black children in Camden County, she attended school in Jacksonville and was also tutored by private teachers. After her education, she began teaching black children
by traveling to the churches in each community, holding classes for three-month periods, boarding with families one week at a time.
Mrs. Harris taught for 60 years, from 1871 until her death in 1931. By
working with both black and white friends and county officials, she helped establish one-teacher schools in every black community throughout the county. And through her guidance and efforts, public schools for black youngsters were established. She also worked as an
in-home demonstration agent as well as supervisor for the black schools. Mrs. Harris organized the first PTA for blacks, and was a respected Sunday school teacher and church secretary. She formed a civic group responsible for the building of the block wall around the black section of Oak Grove Cemetery. The Matilda Harris Elementary School in Kingsland was so named in her honor, and a portrait of this founding mother hangs in the school lobby.
Marguerite Comeau Carbon
In 1755, the English took control of Nova Scotia from the French, and Acadian men, women and children were driven from their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They were put onto sailing ships, and whole families were separated. The French refugees were sent to ports in many areas of what would become the USA, as well as the Caribbean.
Marguerite Comeau was one of these children. She apparently never saw
her family again. This young refugee eventually came to San Domingue, a West Indies island for people of French descent. While there, she married a Mr. Carbon, and they had a daughter, also named Marguerite. This daughter married a Frenchman named Joseph Descleaux. During an insurrection in 1799, Joseph Descleaux brought his wife, daughter and her mother, Marguerite Comeau Carbon, to the United States, where they found their way from Charleston to St. Marys. Mrs. Carbon died in 1829 at the age of 80, and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, with an inscription in French on her tombstone.
The Descleaux and Vocelle families intermarried, and until some time in
the 1950s, were leading citizens in St. Marys. Lucien Vocelle operated a
grocery in downtown St. Marys. Lucien’s son, James, authored a county history at the age of 17, and became a prominent figure in Florida politics
Maria Ponce DuFour
Young Louis DuFour came to St. Marys in 1801, a refugee from the West Indies, whose father had been in the military there and whose parents had died of yellow fever. Louis was of French/Swiss descent, having been born in Dunkirk, France.
Sometime before 1816, he married a young woman from St. Augustine, Maria Ponce, of Spanish descent, educated in the Catholic schools of St. Augustine. Family history indicates that at the age of fourteen, she and her older sister moved to Fernandina to work in the Catholic mission. According to her fifth generation descendant, John DuFour, “Mrs. Louis DuFour was very concerned about religion in the growing little City of St. Marys, this being a frontier town where much crime was committed both day and night, and people lived by their guns.”
The Union Church of St. Marys was used by all denominations from the time it was built in 1808. In 1828 the church became Presbyterian by an act of the Legislature, which meant the other congregations had to find new homes. The Catholics in the city came to Mrs. DuFour with a request that they be allowed to use the second floor of the DuFours’ store, located at the corner of River Street (now St. Marys) and Wheeler Street, as a place of worship.
In 1842 the bank building, which is now the Roman Catholic chapel, was up for sale, and Mrs. DuFour either bought the building or obtained it for the use of the church. John DuFour said about his ancestor: “The great women of this part of the young nation are to be credited for keeping us together, trying to build Christian homes.”
Mrs. DuFour is buried in Oak Grove cemetery, and her descendant in this area is a Guale Historical Society member, Mrs. Bebe Williams. Bebe’s aunt, Bebe Lang, was instrumental in seeing Camden County history archived and made available through the Bryan-Lang Library.
Lucy Coleman Carnegie
There are a number of scenarios about why the Carnegies came to Cumberland Island. One is that Lucy saw an ad in a lady’s magazine and became interested. Another is that she and her husband, Thomas, were cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway on their way to Coral Gables, Florida, saw the beautiful flowers on the grounds of the ruins
of the Greene/Miller Dungeness, and were enthralled. The most plausible explanation is that while Lucy was enrolled in a girls’ school, they spent winters in Fernandina, and she became familiar with the Island. Whatever the background, we do know Thomas Carnegie purchased 4,000 acres, comprising the second Dungeness property, in 1881. Sadly, Lucy also became a young widow in 1886, when Thomas died at the age of 43 from pneumonia, leaving Lucy with nine children.
That’s when Lucy moved her family from Pittsburgh to the Georgia coast, completed the Victorian home they had begun and, over the years, purchased 90% of the island and became the Grand Matriarch of what we call the Carnegie Colony.
Money was never a problem with Lucy. When Thomas Carnegie died, she held 15-17% of the stock in Carnegie Steel. Over the next 14 years Andrew Carnegie, her friend and brother-in-law, bought much of this stock from Lucy, in order that he might have controlling interest in the company.
Lucy completely renovated and enlarged the mansion Dungeness from 1904-07, into the massive home St. Marys residents observed burning in 1958. She built homes for her children as they married, and may have become the county’s largest employer at that time, employing as many as 300 workers on the estate. Many current residents of Camden County have ancestors who worked for her.
Lucy Coleman Carnegie’s granddaughters, Lucy Ferguson and Nancy Rockefeller, and great-granddaughter Rhetta Wright, were dedicated to the preservation of Cumberland Island, and had the connections to prevent the exploitation of the island by developers.
Douglas Louise Clark Hernandez
The diaries of Douglas Louise Clark Hernandez’ mother can be found at the Bryan Lang Library, and are an intriguing look into St. Marys of yesteryear. Douglas (as she was called) married John Rabadan Hernandez, whose parents lived in the house on the site of the current Porter-Bachlott House where they ran a grocery store on the first floor. They sold their grocery store to “Papa” Sterling, and just one day after moving the inventory to the new location across the street, the house burned down.
John ran the commissary at the pogey plant where the old mill now stands. After the pogey plant shut down and John suffered a heart attack, times were tough for the Hernandez family. But Douglas’ resourcefulness kept the family going. Son Ward (who later became mayor) remembers his mother selling “frocks” to help make ends meet. John, Douglas and Ward opened a grocery store in the space that Market on the Square currently occupies. Douglas worked behind the counter while her husband delivered the groceries. The children in town knew him as “Nandez.” Credit was never a problem at the Hernandez Grocery. Douglas’ “soft touch” was renowned around town, and when the store finally closed, it is said that tens of thousands of dollars of
credit slips were simply torn up, freeing many, many needy families from a debt that would have been hard to pay.
Douglas also served as librarian for both the city and county libraries and was instrumental in establishing a cafeteria for the school. The Hernandezs were devout Mormons, and even though there was no Mormon Church in St. Marys, they made sure their children went to Sunday School at a local church every Sunday.
Dot Barker
Much beloved wife of Dr. George Barker, Dot Barker was a noted civic and cultural leader in St. Marys. She was the driving force behind the restoration and furnishing of Orange Hall. The music room in Orange Hall is named in her honor and the fountain in front of Orange Hall was donated in her honor.
According to long-time friend Wanda Bennett, one of Dot’s first involvements after moving to St. Marys in 1949 was the St. Marys Woman’s Club. She was very active in getting the Woman’s Club Building built—the same building that now houses the St. Marys Welcome Center. Dot worked tirelessly to raise money for numerous worthwhile causes including the building of the hospital. She enjoyed helping Santa distribute stockings on Christmas Eve, served as room mother, worked with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and helped beautify Downtown St. Marys by upgrading landscaping and planting flowers in public spaces. Dot’s son, Bobby, says that his mother was “a true southern lady and would do whatever it took to make St. Marys a better place to live.”
In addition to these revered women who have gone before us, two grand ladies are still working diligently to preserve the rich history of St. Marys and Camden County. Eloise Yancey Bailey Thompson spearheaded a
committee to develop and publish the history of the county. The resulting
publication, Camden’s Challenge, can be found in local bookstores. Mrs. Thompson is a charter member and past president of the Guale Historical Society and recipient of the Historian of the Year Award from the society.
Mrs. Thompson and Dr. Ann Harris Stoddard recently collaborated in the writing of another important publication about local history—The Tompkins-Holzendorf Legacy. Dr. Stoddard is a professor emerita of the University of North Florida and former president of the Guale Historical Society as well.
Special thanks to Ann Stacy for the
compilation of the major portion of the Founding Mothers article. Ann serves as secretary for the Guale Historical Society and sits on the St. Marys Historic Preservation Committee as well. Some information was taken from sources provided by the Bryan-Lang Library.

“I have found peace here,” is the
oft-quoted reply when newcomers are asked why they moved to St. Marys. There is an indefinable “softening of the edges” that seems to permeate life in St. Marys. To live in St. Marys is to come face to face with serenity on so many levels. St. Marys’ enviable location just across the river from Florida puts it in an aquatic embrace surrounded by marshes, rivers, creeks, the Intracoastal Waterway; and just across Cumberland Island, the waters of the great Atlantic. Native Americans believed that for every day you spend around water, a day is added to your life. Could it be the water that is the source of St. Marys’ serenity?
Put yourself in this picture: The day is almost over. You take a lazy stroll down to the waterfront park and settle into an old-fashioned wooden swing hung beneath a rose-covered arbor. Before you, a setting sun casts a million points of gold onto the surface of a tranquil river. Dolphins dance in the distance. Seagulls soar and laugh in flight, their gracefulness mesmerizing, leaving you yearning for wings of your own. Is it the sunsets that hold the secret to St. Marys’ serenity?
On an early morning walk through St. Marys’ Downtown Historic District, you catch the tranquilizing scent of gardenia and marvel at the fragile blossoms peeking through a pristine white picket fence. Stately magnolias and moss-covered live oaks canopy St. Marys’ fertile yards, and parks and streetscapes. In the distance you hear the baritone echo of the Cumberland Queen as she sets sail for another day of adventure on Cumberland Island. You stop for a moment, close your eyes, and listen to the lulling birdsongs—more distinct calls than you’ve ever experienced at one time. You lean across another picket fence and trace the Braille marker of a Victorian home, replete with splendor that so defines the Southern landscape. Is it this—the feast of the senses—that gives us the spellbinding sense of serenity?
Or could it be the people? You’ve noticed the warmth in the voices of the merchants who happily open their stores to you—browsing perfectly acceptable. You’re stricken by the respect and politeness of the waiter at the little café on the corner, whose
singular mission in life seems to be to make you happy. You immerse yourself in the friendly greetings and kindness of strangers you encounter on the streets, rich with the wisdom of the area and passionate in their eagerness to share. There is quietude about the town that bespeaks calm. Tranquility. Serenity.
You have found peace here in this
little town of St. Marys, Georgia. Perhaps for a day. Perhaps for a lifetime.

Southern Georgia. Even the words fall sweetly on the tongue like the juice of a sun-ripened peach or a seductively rich Pinot Noir. This is the land that captured the hearts of writers such as Sidney Lanier, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Walker––the list is as long as the evening shadows. It is a world of deep mystery, open hearts and inspirational views. It is an enigma, a benison and a way of being.
The citizens of Historic St. Marys, Southern Georgia’s most luminous star, walk through their lives bathed in the light that is particular to this land of marsh, river and sea. This celestial presence, both corporeal and visceral, beckons the photographer, writer, artist and dreamer within us all.
The shifting hues of St. Marys form a captivating palette of color and mood. On a rare, rain-soft day there’s no better beginning than a long, lingering
waterfront breakfast at The Riverside Café. The aroma of coffee twines about the scent of the sea while we gaze at the shimmering brushed-pewter of sky and river. The Cumberland Queen departs and her farewell salute echoes in the misty air.
After breakfast, we walk to the long dock that stretches out into the marsh and pause to look in wonder still. One never ceases to be entranced by this endless vista, for the marsh that sweeps toward the Florida coast shifts and
alters hourly as the changing light paints upon its canvas. This rare ecosystem is the jewel in the crown of the Low Country—alive with growth, birth, change, renewal and infinite beauty.
Another morning, drenched in the dew-soaked light of a new day, magnolia trees reflect the sun from their rich foliage while the palms capture the rays and toss them back like diamonds into the air. Bougainvilla and hibiscus
blossoms drink in the moisture as the earth prepares itself for the noon heat. Even then, in the mid-day intensity of light and warmth, there is that which delights the eye within the shadows of massive live oaks draped in Spanish moss. It is a unique interplay of color and depth, known only in this land of entrancing contradictions.
Then there is the “Magic Hour,”
the legendary time of golden light and violet hue that whispers to the artist in every soul. All pause to savor this exquisite delight of warm evening breezes, cocktails on the front porch, children’s voices, neighbors waving
as they stroll by. This is St. Marys
at her most captivating—a small
town cradled within “the vast sweet visage of space” (Sidney Lanier).
We invite you to experience a place and a way of being that will captivate and enthrall. But be warned, though you may leave St Marys, you will do so altered in some profound way for there is no leaving this “Brigadoon” without carrying her within your heart forever.

Special thanks to Alex Kearns for
these sentiments that so beautifully
capture another dimension of the magic of St. Marys.