ABOUT COASTAL GEORGIA

From Savannah's cobblestone streets and city squares of the 1700's...to the historic lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic on Tybee Island...to the marshes and beaches of Brunswick and the Golden Isles of St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island...the timeless sand dunes of Cumberland Island ...the plantation era with remnants of the Gullah-Geechee culture still evident on Sapelo Island....and into the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp, the coast of Georgia is filled with adventure, fun and discovery!

Georgia's Coast stretches approximately 100 miles between the Savannah and St. Marys Rivers...between South Carolina to the north and Florida to the south...a perfect location for families, individual travelers and groups.

This twelve-county coastal region offers the best of both worlds. Nature lovers can wander deserted stretches of sand where the only inhabitants are loggerhead turtles and scampering shorebirds. Vacationers can savor the ocean breezes from a lounge chair or a golf cart at some of the nation's top resorts. Sample oysters, soft-shelled crabs, scallops, rock shrimp, catfish, hushpuppies, Low Country Boils and Brunswick stew. Rock gently to the rhythm of "jazz and blues" or shag on the shore at a "beach music" festival.

Come play in our backyard...

Coastal Bryan County is nestled along the Georgia coast, just 15 miles south of Savannah. The City of Richmond Hill was once the summer home of industrial giant Henry Ford. In fact, it was Ford who renamed the city which was once known as Ways Station, to its current name in 1941.

In Richmond Hill you will experience the beauty of our community sheltered under majestic oaks draped in Spanish moss and the grandeur of the area's history and preservation efforts. You can relax and enjoy the pristine coastline through the soft rippling sounds of the great Ogeechee River winding through marshland on its way to the sea.

Rich in woodlands, wildlife, and wetlands - steeped in heritage, history, and hard work - Richmond Hill has kept a keen eye on preserving her past and her natural resources. A healthy economic environment supports our quality of life throughout the area.

Richmond Hill is home to one of the state's best educational systems.

Recreation and Tourism

What a stirring of nostalgic feelings one has upon first seeing Richmond Hill as it sits gracefully along the historic coastline south of Savannah! A spirit of welcome extends from the green lawns and charming homes of Richmond Hill.

In Richmond Hill, a gracious southern lifestyle expresses itself through raised planters' cottages, Low Country bungalows, and quaint farmhouses.

History of Bryan County and Richmond Hill

By the time the English, led by General James Oglethorpe, arrived in 1733, the resident Native Americans were known as the Muskogee Indians. The Indian traders from other colonies began calling them the Creek Indians, which would become accepted throughout the colonies. Oglethorpe trekked back and forth across what was to become Bryan County in pursuit of the Spanish, who still claimed the land. Following peace treaties with the Creek Indians in 1733 and 1739, and a conference in 1757 to clarify ambiguous boundary lines, the colony of Georgia was divided into parishes. St. Phillips was the parish most closely matching today's Bryan County.

During the Revolutionary War, several skirmishes were fought on the soil of St. Phillips Parish. The colonists in the parish were fairly equally divided between patriot and loyalist factions. At the end of the war, when the colony became a state, it was divided into two counties. St. Phillips Parish was absorbed by adjacent counties, primarily Chatham County, whose seat was at Savannah.

In 1792 the county of Bryan, named for patriot Jonathan Bryan, was created out of the lands of old St. Phillips Parish. The same act named Hardwicke, a town established in 1754 at the great bend on the Great Ogeechee River, the county seat. In 1797 the county seat was moved to the vicinity of the Cross Roads (now the intersection of US 17 and GA 144; later known as Ways Station). The county seat moved twice more to Clyde in 1814 and to its current location in Pembroke in 1937. The movement of the county seat over the years followed the shifting of the population center.

Several significant individuals have passed through or resided in St. Phillips Parish / Bryan count. There was Richard Arnold, a wealthy Rhode Islander, who in 1823 began acquisition of 12,000 acres of plantation land, thus establishing a rice dynasty. Robert E. Lee inspected Fort McAllister at the beginning of the civil war. General Sherman's right flank ended their "March to The Sea" in Bryan County, where they accomplished two of their major objectives: the destruction of the "Ogeechee [river] bread basket" and the capture of Fort McAllister, which opened a "back door" leading to the bloodless capture of Savannah.

In 1925, the industrial magnate Henry Ford arrived in the town of Ways Station. At the time, moonshine was a major industry and malaria a major health hazard. Along with his wife, Clara, Ford made his winter home along the banks of the Ogeechee River. They built an elaborate home where two other plantations had stood before. The Ford's winter estate became known as Richmond Hill.

Ford built his home from old bricks purchased from the ruins of the Hermitage, a once famous Savannah plantation. And even before the structure was finished in 1937, he went to work on the small town. He raised a sawmill to put men to work. He bought malaria medicine and hired more than a dozen nurses to administer it. And he built a trade school (which was also available to the adults) and new schools for children, including Bryan County's first kindergarten.

Ford eventually bought more than 70,000 acres around Ways Station, including Fort McAllister, the Confederate earthwork fort. Historians credit Ford with saving the fort from neglect and demise. He built a church, a commissary, and more than 200 houses for employees, many of which still stand today. Ford also built a research lab to find ways to turn local crops into materials in the automotive industry.

By 1939, Ford had 671 employees on his payroll in Ways Station. Many grew vegetables on the Ford Farm, especially iceberg lettuce. Replicas of old Richmond Hill lettuce labels are a big seller in the Historical Society Museum.

In 1941, Henry Ford renamed the town Richmond Hill, after conferring with the US Post Office, the railroads, and the local citizens. Ford died in 1947, two weeks after his last visit to Richmond Hill. Mrs. Ford died in 1950, and their grandson, Henry Ford II had little interest in the town.

The sawmill which Ford built burned down in 1951 and the Ford lands were bought up by the local paper mill. The county took over the schools - and many young people quickly moved away. The Ford era was quickly fading away.

In the eighties the town saw a resurgence as many residents formed a new historical society. The town also began to attract Savannah commuters, lured by the strong schools and fascinated by the Ford lore.

Today, Richmond Hill is a destination community for many seeking the life that goes along with living the coastal lifestyle. The community's top rated schools, low crime rate, and natural beauty attract many looking for something more than just a place to live.