Tybee Island, Georgia's Black History Trail

Researched and created by: Julia Pearce, Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization; Amy Potter, Georgia Southern University; Pat Leiby, Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization; Sarah Jones, Tybee Island Historical Society; and Joyah Mitchell, Georgia Southern University

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Some of properties you are about to tour are private and not open to the public, so please keep to the public right of way.

The Tybee Island Black History Trail documents the arrival of enslaved Africans at Lazaretto Creek Quarantine Station and follows their ancestral journey to present-day Tybee. The trail uncovers parts of Tybee Island’s history and geographies that remain unfamiliar to most people and explores the legacies of enslavement, segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, including efforts to desegregate Tybee Island’s White beach. The trail also highlights the ongoing efforts of organizations such as  Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization , whose volunteers work tirelessly to retain these histories and bring awareness to their importance in the present. 

The Tybee Island Black History Trail is one of the projects developed after Tybee Island adopted:  RESOLUTION 2020-10, PROMOTING JUSTICE AND EQUALTY.  This resolution put an emphasis on many things, including the importance of remembering a more inclusive island history. 

While the trail does document the many ways Jim Crow impacted Black Tybee residents, it also showcases a thriving Black community consisting of fishermen with strong Gullah Geechee roots who expertly navigated the region’s waterways, successful Black entrepreneurs and the Black women who made their living in seasonal and domestic work.

As you embark on this emotional and significant journey, please honor those who have gone before us by being respectful of the property and landscape at each of the stops and all along the trail.