Ossabaw Island
Why it's listed
Ossabaw Island is a barrier island about ten miles long and eight miles wide, lying a few miles off the Georgia coast south of Savannah. Of its roughly 25,000 acres, 8,996 are high ground covered mostly by second-growth forest, with the rest marsh. People have used the island continuously for some 4,000 years, and surveys have recorded nearly 200 archaeological sites, mostly shell middens with pottery and stone points. The historic plantation divisions of North End, Middle Place, Buckhead and South End remain, along with eight historic landings and a main road said to date from the 1760s. At North End stand a clubhouse, boarding house, tabby oyster house and three tabby slave or tenant houses. East of these is the Main House, built in 1924-1926 in Spanish Revival style with pink stucco walls, a red-tile roof, 16 bedrooms and imported tile, set among remains of formal gardens. The district was listed for this combined prehistoric, plantation and early twentieth-century record.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the island as a place continuously used by people for about 4,000 years, with hundreds of prehistoric archaeological sites. It also preserves historic plantation divisions, landings, an old main road, tabby ruins and the 1924-1926 Main House with its gardens. The text also covers colonial-era claims to the island and its natural environment.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 96000468, listed May 6, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7 mi. S of Savannah, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Bear R., Ogeechee R., and St. Catherine's Sound, Savannah |
|---|---|
| County | Chatham County |
| Listed | May 6, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000468 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival; Late Victorian/Eastlake; Other/saddlebag |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture, Prehistoric, Historic - Aboriginal, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Black, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current functions listed include single dwelling, vacant/not in use, and conservation area. The only standing historic habitable structures are at North End and the Main House complex. |
| Acreage | 25056 |
| Coordinates | 31.83843, -81.09233 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 96000468.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2376544
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.