History, Mystery and Stuff That Goes Bump in the Night

When I was a kid, my grandmother lived in an old farmhouse with her two bachelor brothers. The elder of the two, Uncle Charles, delighted in telling us kids that an undertaker had once owned the house, and that someone had killed themselves in one of the front upstairs bedrooms.

The house, which was about 100 years old then, had all sorts of creaks and dark corners – perfect for terrorizing a skittish five year-old. Throw in an electrical storm, with its thunder reverberating through the surrounding hills, and I was a complete basket case. My mother must have loved it.

As a teenager, my bedroom was in the basement at the far end of the house. On nights when I had watched a particularly scary episode of “The Twilight Zone” or “Night Gallery,” I had a special drill for getting safely from one end of the house to the other.

I would turn on all the lights between the stairs and my room. After turning on the lights in my room I would backtrack, turning off the lights between safety and certain peril. Sometimes I’d whistle, just to ward off any malevolent beings that might be lurking behind the water heater.

These days it takes a bit more than a gruesome TV show or movie to give me the Heebie-jeebies. But there are times, when the night is especially dark and the house is especially quiet, that I can–and sometimes do–let my imagination get the best of me.

Truth is, people love a good ghost story. And no matter where you go, there are plenty of stories waiting to be told.
Jenny Strauss has been sharing tales of “the history and mystery” of the Golden Isles for the past six years, during evening ghost tours in the St. Simons Island Village. The tours begin at 9:00, at the foot of the St. Simons Island fishing pier. After a brief welcome and introduction, Jenny leads her groups on a 90-minute journey through the past.

Along the way, she shares the tales that have been handed down through the generations: of the ghost ship that plies the waters of St. Simons Sound, a disagreement that ended in murder, and the young millionaire who built a church as a memorial to his bride. Visitors learn of the Indian village that once occupied a dark and quiet portion of Mallery Park, and of the mysterious spirits that dwell among the crooks and boughs of live oak trees throughout the island.

The legends are mesmerizing, and after awhile you begin to notice sights, sounds and smells you might ignore under different circumstances. “Was that pipe tobacco I smelled in the parlor?” you ask yourself. “Did you see something move through the shadows? Did I hear someone say, ‘Get out of my house’?”

Jenny says that’s not at all unusual. “I wasn’t a believer until I began doing these tours,” she says. “I’m constantly hearing from people who have seen, felt, heard or smelled the things I’ve described. It’s especially interesting when people mention new encounters with ghostly beings.”

Jenny offers two different tours from March through October: the “Ghost Walk” tour and the “Ghost Encounter” tour. The latter includes a stop at the St. Simons Lighthouse and the keeper’s dwelling. “The people at the lighthouse offered to make it available for the tour and I couldn’t pass it up,” she explains. “It has been very, very popular and it adds a really special element to the tour.”

During October, Jenny will offer the “Ghost Encounter” tour on Saturday nights. Tickets are available at St. Simons Island Bait and Tackle on Mallery Street; or they may purchased prior to the beginning of the tour. Jenny also will do private ghost tours for groups of 10 or more. For information, visit www.ghostwalkofstsimons.com or call Jenny at 638-2756.

September 11

It has been a long time since I've posted anything here. 

Not that there hasn't been lots of interesting stuff going on; more about that later -- especially the ongoing saga of the downtown jail that doesn't want to move and the County Commissioners who refuse to budge.

Rather, I want to acknowledge the anniversary of those terrible events that took place seven years ago in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. 

It was a beautiful fall day here on the Georgia coast, just as it was elsewhere along the eastern seaboard. As I began my day, preparing for a meeting, there was no inkling of the tragedy that was yet to come. 

The scenes on television, of the first jet crashing into the World Trade Center, were unbelievable. Subsequent scenes of the second, third and then fourth crashes were inconceivable, as were the images of the towers' collapse. "When will it end?" I asked myself. "Is this the end?"

Suddenly, my problems became insignificant. I was afraid, for my family and friends and for mankind as a whole. The world seemed to become a quieter place, albeit a lot scarier. I was on hyper-alert during the drive home. I began to notice others, especially those who were different. Anything that seemed even remotely out of the ordinary became suspect.

It was a long time before things started to feel "normal" again. A long time before I would even consider getting on a commercial jet, a long time before I could watch the movie about those brave souls aboard Flight 93. A long time before I could look at people from the Middle East and not wonder ...

It's hard to believe it's been seven years. I learned a lot from the events of September 11, about myself, what's important and what's not. Many other tragedies have befallen us since then.

Innumerable words will be said, thoughts expressed and prayers offered today. Most will be far more eloquent than anything I could come up with.

The Rev. Kerry Nelson is pastor of Covenant Lutheran Church in Houston, TX. He writes a daily devotion that more often than not hits me right where I live. Today's devotion is no exception. You can read it here.

All I can say is, Thank God for heroes, for life, love and amazing, amazing grace.

Way to go, Johnny!

Harry Kicklighter says it should have happened long ago. I, and probably thousands of Jekyll Island golfers, would have to agree.

Kicklighter was referring to his friend and colleague, Johnny Paulk, who will be inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in January. The announcement appeared in this morning's Brunswick News. 

Paulk was among the very first people on Jekyll Island with whom I worked after moving here in August 1998. JIA was planning a celebration in recognition of 100 years of golf on the island. The event was to be a blowout, complete with a tournament (played in costume with hickory shaft clubs and gutta percha balls) and dinner at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. 

I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Johnny to help plan the media tour for the event. I haven't worked directly with Johnny for several years. Yet every time I run into him it's as though I just saw him five minutes ago.

No one would argue that Johnny is Mr. Jekyll Island golf. He came to the island in 1968, when the current golf clubhouse and courses were being built. As head pro and director of golf--positions he held until 2006--he helped organize hundreds (thousands?) of golf events for visiting business groups, associations and other organizations. 

The most well-known of these is the annual Georgia-Florida Invitational, which brings scores of golfers to Jekyll Island for several days of fun and fellowship prior to the big game in Jacksonville. 

His contributions to golfdom aren't limited to the coast, however. 

Since 1979, Paulk has served as an announcer at the Masters in Augusta. He began as a greenside announcer at the ninth hole, and moved to the 18th hole in 1998. There, he has had a front seat view to some of golf's greatest finishes. 

Paulk says the Georgia-Florida and The Masters are "two highlights" of a long and distinguished career, one that has not gone unnoticed.

In 2007 he was presented with a "Faithful Service Award" by Gov. Perdue. In 2003 he received the Georgia PGA's first "President's Award" for service and contributions to the game. That same year, the state senate passed a resolution making March 27 "Johnny Paulk Day" in Georgia. Other kudos have included the "Governor's Award" in 1985, three Georgia PGA "Public Merchandiser of the Year" awards, and a "National Merchandiser of the Year" award from PGA of America, as well as two Georgia PGA Eastern Chapter "Golf Professional of the Year" awards and a southeast region "Professional of the Year" award from Spalding.

They say that behind every successful man is a woman, and Johnny Paulk will be the first to tell you that's true. His wife, Virginia, has been at his side every step of the way and she is as well known and beloved among golfers as he.

Even though he has retired as Jekyll Island's director of golf, Johnny isn't resting on his laurels. He can be found most days in his office at the Jekyll Island golf clubhouse, where he continues to manage the pro shop retail operation and organizes golf tournaments.

Kicklighter, the current director of golf, says that people expect to see Johnny when they come to play golf on Jekyll Island, and that they worry when he's not there. That aspect -- the thousands of friendships created over a 41-year career -- is Paulk's greatest legacy.

Congratulations, Johnny and Virginia. You deserve it.