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Avenue Of The Oaks A Southern Welcome Of Love & Legacy

STORY BY SHAN WALKER

At first glance, the towering oak trees that line the entrance of the Sea Island Golf Course on St. Simons Island may seem like an ordinary landscape greeting. But, oh, if the Avenue of Oaks could speak, the stories of love and legacy they could tell! The oaks, planted over 160 years ago, have greeted many guests, and they’ve also witnessed tragedy, triumph, loss, love, and a legacy that has stood the test of time.

You see, the exclusive golf fairways and the welcoming row of trees that we see today were once known as “Retreat,” the most efficient plantation of its kind in the 19th century. Anna Matilda Page King inherited the 2000+ acres, but she, her family, and her staff were no ordinary inhabitants.

Quite uncommon in that day, Anna Matilda's Father had raised her to be an educated young woman in his business of land management. From seed cultivation to construction, her education served her well when her husband was frequently-absent, serving in Congress and other business affairs. She singlehandedly ran the plantation and raised her ten children to be productive and honorable, although struggling at times to feed what she called her “family, black and white.”

Anna fondly saw her “employees” of the plantation as family & their well-being was of great concern. She had quite a reputation of going against the status quo when it came to them as they did not experience the level of bondage that many enslaved people of that time endured. Among other things to help them, she opened a slave hospital that served the entire slave community on St. Simons Island for many years.

Anna planted the “Avenue of Oaks” in 1826 to shade her visiting guests on the way to “the big house.” Legend has it that her extensive flower garden amid the trees was so fragrant that they could be smelled by sailors before they reached the island’s shores.

One special slave boy was especially privileged and dear to Anna as her children’s playmate. Neptune Small was born into slavery on the plantation in 1831. A devoted friendship grew between the oldest boy, Henry Lord King, “Lordy," and Neptune as they played together and learned how to read and write side-by-side.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Neptune’s loyalty led him to accompany Henry Lord King into battle. He promised Anna that he would bring her oldest son back home.

Neptune was by Lordy’s side when he became an officer in the Confederate Army at Fredericksburg, Virginia. And Neptune braved the battlefield of dead soldiers on the night of December 13th, 1862 to retrieve Lordy’s body from the bloody field.

In sadness and honor, Neptune kept his promise by enduring a long wagon journey home to Georgia with his friend in a pine coffin. Thanks to his lifelong friend, Lordy would receive a proper burial at Christ Church on St. Simons Island.

Neptune returned to battle once again when Lordy’s younger brother, Richard followed his brother’s footsteps into war. While the two were gone, Retreat was taken over by the Union Army and served as a base of operations. When Neptune and Richard returned home, Retreat Plantation was almost unrecognizable. Legend has it that Anna’s prized flowers were dug up and shipped north.

One of the only things that did remain intact after the Civil War, dripping with Spanish moss, was Retreat’s majestic Avenue of Oaks. They still stand tall as a legacy of loyalty, bravery, honor, and love.

Today, the Avenue of the Oaks beckons newcomers to stop to relish their beauty and to remember stories of their past. Down the road, visitors can also experience Neptune Park near Pier Village, a spectacular venue named after the noble slave that earned his rightful place in Coastal Georgia history. O L

INSIDER TIPS: Learn more about St. Simons Island’s intriguing history by visiting the Golden Isles Visitor Center. Take a trolley tour to learn more details about this iconic site and others whose stories are equally captivating.

Golden Isles Welcome Center: 529 Beachview Dr, St Simons, GA Lighthouse Trolley Land and Sea Tours: Lighthousetrolleys.com

Shan Walker

Southern Family Travel Writer TheHowtoGuru.com