SAVANNAH — The Georgia Historical Society recently announced it will open the Ossabaw Island and Torrey family papers archival collection for public research.
Ossabaw Island once served as hunting ground for Native American people and is the ancestral home of the Lowcountry’s Gullah-Geechee community. The island is a modern-era ecological and heritage preserve and its diverse and gripping history has spurred legendary tales.
The area has drawn researchers from all over the world and demand for access to the materials and documents has steadily increased over the past several years.
Now, thanks to a grant from The Frances and Beverly DuBose Foundation, the collection has been processed and is accessible to anyone interested in exploring the documented history of the island.
Records in the collection date from 1699-2007, providing insights into the people, events and use of the island and its history for more than four centuries.
Some materials in the collection include the original grant from King Georgia II in 1760, slave inventories from 1812-17, historical maps from the 18th-20th centuries, photographs, records and research compiled during the Ossabaw Island Foundation’s era, when the island was used as an artists’ colony and interdisciplinary studies residential think-tank.
To learn more about Ossabaw Island and the Torrey family papers archival collection, go to www.georgiahistory.com or visit the Georgia Historical Society’s reading room.
Ossabaw Island once served as hunting ground for Native American people and is the ancestral home of the Lowcountry’s Gullah-Geechee community. The island is a modern-era ecological and heritage preserve and its diverse and gripping history has spurred legendary tales.
The area has drawn researchers from all over the world and demand for access to the materials and documents has steadily increased over the past several years.
Now, thanks to a grant from The Frances and Beverly DuBose Foundation, the collection has been processed and is accessible to anyone interested in exploring the documented history of the island.
Records in the collection date from 1699-2007, providing insights into the people, events and use of the island and its history for more than four centuries.
Some materials in the collection include the original grant from King Georgia II in 1760, slave inventories from 1812-17, historical maps from the 18th-20th centuries, photographs, records and research compiled during the Ossabaw Island Foundation’s era, when the island was used as an artists’ colony and interdisciplinary studies residential think-tank.
To learn more about Ossabaw Island and the Torrey family papers archival collection, go to www.georgiahistory.com or visit the Georgia Historical Society’s reading room.