Isle of Hope, Georgia

Isle of Hope is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Chatham County, Georgia, United States.

[4] The island is one of the most affluent communities in the state and is well known for its historic plantations and exclusive waterfront properties.

Legends abound of pirates using the island to hide their booty, and generations of children have gone digging for this treasure.

In 1733, when General James Oglethorpe founded the Georgia colony, a surveyor named Noble Jones was granted a tract on the island that was eventually named Wormsloe, possibly after an English estate but more probably due to the mulberry trees that were grown there, the worms of which, it was hoped, would form the basis for a silk industry.

As greater numbers of people discovered the island, the former plantation lands were subdivided and the lots sold, and it became a fashionable summer retreat.

Several homes from the antebellum period remain, including the 1820 former caretaker's cottage of Carsten Hall plantation.

Although the plantation itself burned in the early 20th century, the family moved into the caretaker's cottage overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.

In the early 20th century, with better transportation options, the summer resort became the year-round home of many, and the terrapin farm at Barbee's Pavilion became world-famous for the export of terrapins for stew, including to the major restaurants of New York City and to the Czar of Russia.

The island's beauty and history has attracted a number of Hollywood film productions, including the Oscar-winning Glory, the original Cape Fear, The Last of the Belles, Forrest Gump, and The Last Song.

Isle of Hope K-8 School
Map of Georgia highlighting Chatham County