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McIntosh County

Where nature and culture meet

McIntosh County is the quintessential coastal Georgia place. With a rich and complex tradition of Native American, European, early American, and African American history, residents of McIntosh have developed a deep relationship with nature and wildlife for generations. Books like Drifting into Darien, Making Gullah, and Praying for Sheetrock describe a vast landscape of marshes and rivers speckled with shrimp boats and wildlife, and a community of people that is sustained by the landscape and the resources it provides.

Despite this deep connection to the environment, the community struggles. For generations, deep poverty fed by political corruption have resulted in a struggling economy and an inability for many to envision a future for the county that honors and commemorates past traditions and provides opportunities for all residents to build wealth and thrive.

McIntosh County is a wonder of our coast—home to Butler Island and the Altamaha Wildlife Management Area and Sapelo Island.

Death by 1,000 Cuts

The absence of a strong vision has allowed for alternative visions to creep in and attempt to take hold. Last year, the Department of Natural Resources considered selling a portion of Butler Island, a property that is now owned by the people of Georgia and the site where more than 600 enslaved Africans once lived, for $1 to an entity that wanted to make the property a distillery. Thanks to the massive public outcry, the bill that would have enabled this sale failed to pass. Meanwhile, there is currently a proposal by a private landowner on Sapelo Island to build a dock adjacent to the historic Hog Hummock community of descendants of formerly enslaved Africans. Both of these projects represent efforts to ignore important African American history, culture, and connections to the community.

Building a future that honors both past and present

It is always necessary to stand ready to fight bad ideas. But bad ideas will overwhelm a place that doesn’t present a clear vision of the type of ideas it seeks to accommodate. That’s why One Hundred Miles is working with a diverse coalition of partners, including descendants of formerly enslaved people, historic preservation groups, churches, the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and concerned citizens, to identify proactive solutions.

We’ve also partnered with the McIntosh County Chamber of Commerce and the Industrial Development Authority to promote the county as a destination for people interested in ecotourism and African American culture and history.

You can help.

Learn more about SICARS’ campaign to prevent a private dock from threatening the historic Hogg Hummuck community on Sapelo Island. You’ll find links to take action and speak out against the proposal.