The two slave cabins seen here and below were part of the historic Gascoigne Bluff plantation of Scottish immigrant James Hamilton. Hamilton’s vast acreage of long staple Sea Island cotton was labor intensive and therefore he was a large slaveholder.
The Cassina Garden Club of St. Simons began meeting here in 1932 and took deed to the property in 1950. They maintain the structures and the grounds beautifully.
Seen below is the larger old style tabby used in the slave cabins.
National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Coastal Georgia Photographs by Brian Brown 
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I am absolutely intrigued by the slave history of Southern Georgia. I grew up in the Southwest Georgia city of Bainbridge with cotton fields all around but never, as did many other African-American born in the region, had to experience picking cotton. Having said this, I was born in 1961. Anyway, I find your vanishing (slave) history photo essay inspiring. Currently, I am back in my hometown from San Francisco, California to spearhead a series of local events synchronized in honor and celebration of National Black History Month. As a result, I have stumbled across amazing local slave-related history that’s quickly vanishing and a part of me wants to try and hurry up and save it! Take for example, Mt. Zion A.M.E. church located just a few miles outside of Bainbridge. Oral history puts the age of the church at 150 years old (and counting!) and built in part by slave labor. Yet, this church sits idle, rotting away and its history vanishing right before our eyes. To that end, I am hosting a special on-site celebration and call for action to bring much-needed attention to the need to try and save what I feel should be deemed a local historical site. Therefore, I applaud your efforts here and welcome your wisdom as to how we can go about saving Mt. Zion A.M.E. Congratulations and the best of luck to you to revive this important history and legacy of our lives.
Thank you for your interest and efforts in Bainbridge. It is an old and history-conscious little city. Its founder, Daniel Odum Neel, was my ancestor.
Jeanne, one of my husband’s good friends years ago was Joe Neel…his family owned Joseph N Neel’s in Macon….Joe was a great guy…wondered if he’s related? also, I was born and raised in Brunswick so the history of the island plantations is always interesting.
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