Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Web is a professional photography and Web Development company serving the greater Atlanta Area Situated along the quiet flow of the Chattahoochee River, this gated, nature reserve community offers its discerning residents all the beauty of an unspoiled natural environment as well as convenient access to Atlanta. The Lodge, our new mountain-resort inspired clubhouse, embodies all that is The River Club. Its enduring architecture is immediately welcoming, and the level of service offered to members is unrivaled in all of Atlanta. From dining and golf to massage therapy and game nights, The Lodge is the center of life here. Every detail at The River Club has been crafted with a sincere respect for the land – creating the ideal place to raise a family and form lasting friendships. With stunning architecture, a signature Greg Norman golf course, our expansive Lakeside Family Sports Center, a Kids' Klub and a riverside nature trail, The River Club is very much a retreat from the hustle and hassles of everyday life. Welcome to The River Club.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Web is a professional photography and Web Development company serving the greater Atlanta Area Situated along the quiet flow of the Chattahoochee River, this gated, nature reserve community offers its discerning residents all the beauty of an unspoiled natural environment as well as convenient access to Atlanta. The Lodge, our new mountain-resort inspired clubhouse, embodies all that is The River Club. Its enduring architecture is immediately welcoming, and the level of service offered to members is unrivaled in all of Atlanta. From dining and golf to massage therapy and game nights, The Lodge is the center of life here. Every detail at The River Club has been crafted with a sincere respect for the land – creating the ideal place to raise a family and form lasting friendships. With stunning architecture, a signature Greg Norman golf course, our expansive Lakeside Family Sports Center, a Kids' Klub and a riverside nature trail, The River Club is very much a retreat from the hustle and hassles of everyday life. Welcome to The River Club.

Envision Virtual Tours, Stuart Wade Envision Virtual Tours and High Resolution Photography is your best choice to find just what you are looking for in the Blairsville Area . Knowing the areas and resources of Lake Nottely is our specialty. Whether you're looking for fishing on Lake Nottely, information and history of Blairsville, Ga. Learn all about Blairsville, Ga. here! Blairsville, the county seat of Union County, was incorporated on December 26,1835 and remains the sole incorporated community in the county. At the heart of Downtown Blairsville is the Historic Union County Courthouse, constructed in 1899, and now home to everything from the Union County Historical Society and Friday Night Concerts to a military museum and dollhouse collection. Nearby is the Blairsville City Hall (formerly the "old" jail built in 1934). Both historical buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Blairsville's Town Square is frequently the venue for annual events such as the Downtown Spring Arts & Crafts Festival, the Memorial Day Parade, the Green Bean Festival, the Bluegrass Festival, the Sorghum Parade, Hometown Halloween on the Square, and the Christmas Parade. Everyone is invited to these family orientated celebrations! Just south of the Square, the Historical Society develops and maintains the Mountain Life Museum. It is home to the 1906 Grapel Mock House, the 1861 Payne Cabin, and annual events such as the Mountain Market and Heritage Festival. Look for live animals, heritage demonstrations, and hands-on activities such as panning for gold. There are many exciting destinations in and around Blairsville. Meeks Park, Butternut Creek Golf Course, Lake Nottely, Helton Creek Falls, and the Appalachian Trail are a few of the most well-known attractions. Blairsville is the place to be for outdoor fun. Nearly two-thirds of Union County is in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It includes Georgia's highest point, Brasstown Bald (with a visitors' center at the summit), Vogel State Park (the oldest and most popular state park in Georgia), and the Richard Russell Scenic Byway. In 2011, Blairsville was designated as an official Appalachian Trail Community. This designation recognizes Blairsville for its part in promoting awareness of the Appalachian Trail as an important national and local resource. In 2007 Blairsville was recognized as a Georgia Better Hometown, largely due to the community volunteer efforts of the Downtown Development Authority of Blairsville. Blairsville has many dedicated individuals and organizations that work together to make the city a great place to live (and to visit). Welcome to Blairsville, Georgia!

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Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The second-largest and most developed of Georgia's barrier islands, St. Simons is approximately twelve miles long and nearly three miles wide at its widest stretch (roughly the size of Manhattan Island in New York). The island is located in Glynn County on Georgia's coast and lies east of Brunswick (the seat of Glynn County), south of Little St. Simons Island and the Hampton River, and north of Jekyll Island. The resort community of Sea Island is separated from St. Simons on the east by the Black Banks River. Known for its oak tree canopies and historic landmarks, St. Simons is both a tourist destination and, according to the 2010 U.S. census, home to 12,743 residents. Early History The earliest St. Simons Island Village record of human habitation on the island dates to the Late Archaic Period, about 5,000 to 3,000 years ago. Remnants of shell rings left behind by Native Americans from this era survive on many of the barrier islands, including St. Simons. Centuries later, during the period known by historians as the chiefdom era, the Guale Indians established a chiefdom centered on St. Catherines Island and used St. Simons as their hunting and fishing grounds. By 1500 the Guale had established a permanent village of about 200 people on St. Simons, which they called Guadalquini. Beginning in 1568, the Spanish attempted to create missions along the Georgia coast. Catholic missions were the primary means by which Georgia's indigenous Native American chiefdoms were assimilated into the Spanish colonial system along the northern frontier of greater Spanish Florida. In the 1600s St. Simons became home to two Spanish missions: San Buenaventura de Guadalquini, on the southern tip of the island, and Santo Domingo de Asao (or Asajo), on the northern tip. Located on the inland side of the island were the pagan refugee villages of San Simón, the island's namesake, and Ocotonico. In 1684 pirate raids left the missions and villages largely abandoned. Colonial History As Fort Frederica early as 1670, with Great Britain's establishment of the colony of Carolina and its expansion into Georgia territory, Spanish rule was threatened by the English. The Georgia coast was considered "debatable land" by England and Spain, even though Spain had fully retreated from St. Simons by 1702. Thirty-one years later General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the English settlement of Savannah. In 1736 he established Fort Frederica, named after the heir to the British throne, Frederick Louis, prince of Wales, on the west side of St. Simons Island to protect Savannah and the Carolinas from the Spanish threat. Between 1736 and 1749 Fort Frederica was the hub of British military operations along the Georgia frontier. A town of the same name grew up around the fort and was of great importance to the new colony. By 1740 Frederica's population was 1,000. In 1736 the congregation of what would become Christ Church was organized within Fort Frederica as a mission of the Church of England. Charles Wesley led the first services. In 1742 Britain's decisive victory over Spain in the Battle of Bloody Marsh, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, ended the Spanish threat to the Georgia coast. When the British regimen disbanded in 1749, most of the townspeople relocated to the mainland. Fort Frederica went into decline and, except for a short time of prosperity during the 1760s and 1770s under the leadership of merchant James Spalding, never fully recovered. Today the historic citadel's tabby ruins are maintained by the National Park Service. Plantation Era By the start of the American Revolution (1775-83), Fort Frederica was obsolete, and St. Simons was left largely uninhabited as most of its residents joined the patriot army. Besides hosting a small Georgia naval victory on the Fort Frederica River, providing guns from its famous fort for use at Fort Morris in Sunbury, and serving as an arena for pillaging by privateers and British soldiers, the island played almost no role in the war. Following the war, many of the townspeople, their businesses destroyed, turned to agriculture. The island was transformed into fourteen cotton plantations after acres of live oak trees were cleared for farm land and used for building American warships, including the famous USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides." Although rice was the predominant crop along the neighboring Altamaha River, St. Simons was known for its production of long-staple cotton, which soon came to be known as Sea Island cotton. Between Ebos Landing the 1780s and the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65), St. Simons's plantation culture flourished. The saline atmosphere and the availability of cheap slave labor proved an ideal combination for the cultivation of Sea Island cotton. In 1803 a group of Ebo slaves who survived the Middle Passage and arrived on the west side of St. Simons staged a rebellion and drowned themselves. The sacred site is known today as Ebos Landing. One of the largest owners of land and slaves on St. Simons was Pierce Butler, master of Hampton Point Plantation, located on the northern end of the island. By 1793 Butler owned more than 500 slaves, who cultivated 800 acres of cotton on St. Simons and 300 acres of rice on Butler's Island in the Altamaha River delta. Butler's grandson, Pierce Mease Butler, who at the age of sixteen inherited a share of his grandfather's estate in 1826, was responsible for the largest sale of human beings in the history of the United States: in 1859, to restore his squandered fortune, he sold 429 slaves in Savannah for more than $300,000. The British actress and writer Fanny Kemble, whose tumultuous marriage to Pierce ended in divorce in 1849, published an eyewitness account of the evils of slavery on St. Simons in her book Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 (1863). Another Retreat Plantation large owner of land and slaves on St. Simons was Major William Page, a friend and employee of Pierce Butler Sr. Before purchasing Retreat Plantation on the southwestern tip of the island in 1804, Page managed the Hampton plantation and Butler's Island. Upon Page's death in 1827, Thomas Butler King inherited the land together with his wife, Page's daughter, Anna Matilda Page King. King expanded his father-in-law's planting empire on St. Simons as well as on the mainland, and by 1835 Retreat Plantation alone was home to as many as 355 slaves. The center of life during the island's plantation era was Christ Church, Frederica. Organized in 1807 by a group of island planters, the Episcopal church is the second oldest in the Diocese of Georgia. Embargoes imposed by the War of 1812 (1812-15) prevented the parishioners from building a church structure, so they worshiped in the home of John Beck, which stood on the site of Oglethorpe's only St. Simons residence, Orange Hall. The first Christ Church building, finished on the present site in 1820, was ruined by occupying Union troops during the Civil War. In 1884 the Reverend Anson Dodge Jr. rebuilt the church as a memorial to his first wife, Ellen. The cruciform building with a trussed gothic roof and stained-glass windows remains active today as Christ Church. Civil War and Beyond The St. Simons Island Lighthouse outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 put a sudden end to St. Simons's lucrative plantation era. In January of that year, Confederate troops were stationed at the south end of the island to guard the entrance to Brunswick Harbor. Slaves from Retreat Plantation, owned by Thomas Butler King, built earthworks and batteries. Plantation residents were scattered—the men joined the Confederate army and their families moved to the mainland. Cannon fire was heard on the island in December 1861, and Confederate troops retreated in February 1862, after dynamiting the lighthouse to keep its beacon from aiding Union troops. Soon thereafter, Union troops occupied the island, which was used as a camp for freed slaves. By August 1862 more than 500 former slaves lived on St. Simons, including Susie King Taylor, who organized a school for freed slave children. But in November the ex-slaves were taken to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Fernandina, Florida, leaving the island abandoned. After the Civil War the island never returned to its status as an agricultural community. The plantations lay dormant because there were no slaves to work the fields. After Union general William T. Sherman's January 1865 Special Field Order No. 15 —a demand that former plantations be divided and distributed to former slaves—was overturned by U.S. president Andrew Johnson less than a year later, freedmen and women were forced to work as sharecroppers on the small farms that dotted the land previously occupied by the sprawling plantations. By St. Simons Lumber Mills 1870 real economic recovery began with the reestablishment of the timber industry. Norman Dodge and Titus G. Meigs of New York set up lumber mill operations at Gascoigne Bluff, formerly Hamilton Plantation. The lumber mills provided welcome employment for both blacks and whites and also provided mail and passenger boats to the mainland. Such water traffic, together with the construction of a new lighthouse in 1872, designed by architect Charles B. Cluskey, marked the beginning of St. Simons's tourism industry. The keeper of the lighthouse created a small amusement park, which drew many visitors, as did the seemingly miraculous light that traveled from the top of the lighthouse tower to the bottom. The island became a summer retreat for families from the mainland, particularly from Baxley, Brunswick, and Waycross. The island's resort industry was thriving by the 1880s. Beachfront structures, such as a new pier and grand hotel, were built on the southeastern end of the island and could be accessed by ferry. Around this time wealthy northerners began vacationing on the island. Twentieth Century The St. Simons Island Pier and Village opening in 1924 of the Brunswick–St. Simons Highway, today known as the Torras Causeway, was a milestone in the development of resorts in the area. St. Simons's beaches were now easily accessible to locals and tourists alike. More than 5,000 automobiles took the short drive from Brunswick to St. Simons via the causeway on its opening day, paving the way for convenient residential and resort development. In 1926 automotive pioneer Howard Coffin of Detroit, Michigan, bought large tracts of land on St. Simons, including the former Retreat Plantation, and constructed a golf course, yacht club, paved roads, and a residential subdivision. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a small community with only a few hundred permanent residents until the 1940s. The St. Simons Island outbreak of World War II (1941-45) brought more visitors and residents to St. Simons. Troops stationed at Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah; and nearby Camp Stewart took weekend vacations on the island, and a new naval air base and radar school became home to even more officers and soldiers. The increased wartime population brought the island its first public school. With a major shipyard for the production of Liberty ships in nearby Brunswick, the waters of St. Simons became active with German U-boats. In April 1942, just off the coast, the Texas Company oil tanker S. S. Oklahoma and the S. S. Esso Baton Rouge were torpedoed by the Germans, bringing the war very close to home for island residents. Due in large part to the military's improvement of the island's infrastructure during the war, development on the island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. More permanent homes and subdivisions were built, and the island was no longer just a summer resort but also a thriving community. In 1950 the Methodist conference and retreat center Epworth by the Sea opened on Gascoigne Bluff. In 1961 novelist Eugenia Price visited St. Simons and began work on her first works of fiction, known as the St. Simons Trilogy. Inspired by real events on the island, Price's trilogy renewed interest in the history of Georgia's coast, and the novelist herself relocated to the island in 1965 and lived there for thirty-one years. St. Simons is also home to contemporary Georgia writer Tina McElroy Ansa. Since Epworth by the Sea 1980 St. Simons's population has doubled. The island's continued status as a vacation destination and its ongoing development boom have put historic landmarks and natural areas at risk. While such landmarks as the Fort Frederica ruins and the Battle of Bloody Marsh site are preserved and maintained by the National Park Service, and while the historic lighthouse is maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, historic Ebos Landing has been taken over by a sewage treatment plant. Several coastal organizations have formed in recent years to save natural areas on the island. The St. Simons Land Trust, for example, has received donations of large tracts of land and plans to protect property in the island's three traditional African American neighborhoods. Despite its rapid growth and development, St. Simons remains one of the most beautiful and important islands on the Georgia coast.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Web is a professional photography and Web Development company serving the greater Atlanta Area Situated along the quiet flow of the Chattahoochee River, this gated, nature reserve community offers its discerning residents all the beauty of an unspoiled natural environment as well as convenient access to Atlanta. The Lodge, our new mountain-resort inspired clubhouse, embodies all that is The River Club. Its enduring architecture is immediately welcoming, and the level of service offered to members is unrivaled in all of Atlanta. From dining and golf to massage therapy and game nights, The Lodge is the center of life here. Every detail at The River Club has been crafted with a sincere respect for the land – creating the ideal place to raise a family and form lasting friendships. With stunning architecture, a signature Greg Norman golf course, our expansive Lakeside Family Sports Center, a Kids' Klub and a riverside nature trail, The River Club is very much a retreat from the hustle and hassles of everyday life. Welcome to The River Club.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The design goal was to produce a corporate or family retreat that could best utilize the uniqueness and seclusion as the only private residence, deep-water hammock directly assessable via concrete bridge in the Southeastern United States. Little Hawkins Island was seven years in the making from design and permitting through construction and punch out. The multiple award winning design was inspired by Spanish Colonial architecture with California Mission influences and developed for the corporation or family who entertains. With 5 custom fireplaces, 75+ palm trees, fountain, courtyards, and extensive use of covered outdoor spaces; Little Hawkins Island is truly a Resort Residence that will easily accommodate parties of 250 or more people. The concept of a “village” was used to promote movement among 4 independent buildings for residents and guests alike to enjoy the year round natural beauty and climate of the Golden Isles. The architectural scale and attention to detail throughout the campus is exemplary. From the heavy mud set Spanish barrel tile roof to the monolithic solid concrete portico with its’ custom carved cartouche at the entrance, every opportunity was seized to match the style and grace of the best properties built in a bygone era.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Web is a professional photography and Web Development company serving the greater Atlanta Area Situated along the quiet flow of the Chattahoochee River, this gated, nature reserve community offers its discerning residents all the beauty of an unspoiled natural environment as well as convenient access to Atlanta. The Lodge, our new mountain-resort inspired clubhouse, embodies all that is The River Club. Its enduring architecture is immediately welcoming, and the level of service offered to members is unrivaled in all of Atlanta. From dining and golf to massage therapy and game nights, The Lodge is the center of life here. Every detail at The River Club has been crafted with a sincere respect for the land – creating the ideal place to raise a family and form lasting friendships. With stunning architecture, a signature Greg Norman golf course, our expansive Lakeside Family Sports Center, a Kids' Klub and a riverside nature trail, The River Club is very much a retreat from the hustle and hassles of everyday life. Welcome to The River Club.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The design goal was to produce a corporate or family retreat that could best utilize the uniqueness and seclusion as the only private residence, deep-water hammock directly assessable via concrete bridge in the Southeastern United States. Little Hawkins Island was seven years in the making from design and permitting through construction and punch out. The multiple award winning design was inspired by Spanish Colonial architecture with California Mission influences and developed for the corporation or family who entertains. With 5 custom fireplaces, 75+ palm trees, fountain, courtyards, and extensive use of covered outdoor spaces; Little Hawkins Island is truly a Resort Residence that will easily accommodate parties of 250 or more people. The concept of a “village” was used to promote movement among 4 independent buildings for residents and guests alike to enjoy the year round natural beauty and climate of the Golden Isles. The architectural scale and attention to detail throughout the campus is exemplary. From the heavy mud set Spanish barrel tile roof to the monolithic solid concrete portico with its’ custom carved cartouche at the entrance, every opportunity was seized to match the style and grace of the best properties built in a bygone era.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The second-largest and most developed of Georgia's barrier islands, St. Simons is approximately twelve miles long and nearly three miles wide at its widest stretch (roughly the size of Manhattan Island in New York). The island is located in Glynn County on Georgia's coast and lies east of Brunswick (the seat of Glynn County), south of Little St. Simons Island and the Hampton River, and north of Jekyll Island. The resort community of Sea Island is separated from St. Simons on the east by the Black Banks River. Known for its oak tree canopies and historic landmarks, St. Simons is both a tourist destination and, according to the 2010 U.S. census, home to 12,743 residents. Early History The earliest St. Simons Island Village record of human habitation on the island dates to the Late Archaic Period, about 5,000 to 3,000 years ago. Remnants of shell rings left behind by Native Americans from this era survive on many of the barrier islands, including St. Simons. Centuries later, during the period known by historians as the chiefdom era, the Guale Indians established a chiefdom centered on St. Catherines Island and used St. Simons as their hunting and fishing grounds. By 1500 the Guale had established a permanent village of about 200 people on St. Simons, which they called Guadalquini. Beginning in 1568, the Spanish attempted to create missions along the Georgia coast. Catholic missions were the primary means by which Georgia's indigenous Native American chiefdoms were assimilated into the Spanish colonial system along the northern frontier of greater Spanish Florida. In the 1600s St. Simons became home to two Spanish missions: San Buenaventura de Guadalquini, on the southern tip of the island, and Santo Domingo de Asao (or Asajo), on the northern tip. Located on the inland side of the island were the pagan refugee villages of San Simón, the island's namesake, and Ocotonico. In 1684 pirate raids left the missions and villages largely abandoned. Colonial History As Fort Frederica early as 1670, with Great Britain's establishment of the colony of Carolina and its expansion into Georgia territory, Spanish rule was threatened by the English. The Georgia coast was considered "debatable land" by England and Spain, even though Spain had fully retreated from St. Simons by 1702. Thirty-one years later General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the English settlement of Savannah. In 1736 he established Fort Frederica, named after the heir to the British throne, Frederick Louis, prince of Wales, on the west side of St. Simons Island to protect Savannah and the Carolinas from the Spanish threat. Between 1736 and 1749 Fort Frederica was the hub of British military operations along the Georgia frontier. A town of the same name grew up around the fort and was of great importance to the new colony. By 1740 Frederica's population was 1,000. In 1736 the congregation of what would become Christ Church was organized within Fort Frederica as a mission of the Church of England. Charles Wesley led the first services. In 1742 Britain's decisive victory over Spain in the Battle of Bloody Marsh, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, ended the Spanish threat to the Georgia coast. When the British regimen disbanded in 1749, most of the townspeople relocated to the mainland. Fort Frederica went into decline and, except for a short time of prosperity during the 1760s and 1770s under the leadership of merchant James Spalding, never fully recovered. Today the historic citadel's tabby ruins are maintained by the National Park Service. Plantation Era By the start of the American Revolution (1775-83), Fort Frederica was obsolete, and St. Simons was left largely uninhabited as most of its residents joined the patriot army. Besides hosting a small Georgia naval victory on the Fort Frederica River, providing guns from its famous fort for use at Fort Morris in Sunbury, and serving as an arena for pillaging by privateers and British soldiers, the island played almost no role in the war. Following the war, many of the townspeople, their businesses destroyed, turned to agriculture. The island was transformed into fourteen cotton plantations after acres of live oak trees were cleared for farm land and used for building American warships, including the famous USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides." Although rice was the predominant crop along the neighboring Altamaha River, St. Simons was known for its production of long-staple cotton, which soon came to be known as Sea Island cotton. Between Ebos Landing the 1780s and the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65), St. Simons's plantation culture flourished. The saline atmosphere and the availability of cheap slave labor proved an ideal combination for the cultivation of Sea Island cotton. In 1803 a group of Ebo slaves who survived the Middle Passage and arrived on the west side of St. Simons staged a rebellion and drowned themselves. The sacred site is known today as Ebos Landing. One of the largest owners of land and slaves on St. Simons was Pierce Butler, master of Hampton Point Plantation, located on the northern end of the island. By 1793 Butler owned more than 500 slaves, who cultivated 800 acres of cotton on St. Simons and 300 acres of rice on Butler's Island in the Altamaha River delta. Butler's grandson, Pierce Mease Butler, who at the age of sixteen inherited a share of his grandfather's estate in 1826, was responsible for the largest sale of human beings in the history of the United States: in 1859, to restore his squandered fortune, he sold 429 slaves in Savannah for more than $300,000. The British actress and writer Fanny Kemble, whose tumultuous marriage to Pierce ended in divorce in 1849, published an eyewitness account of the evils of slavery on St. Simons in her book Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 (1863). Another Retreat Plantation large owner of land and slaves on St. Simons was Major William Page, a friend and employee of Pierce Butler Sr. Before purchasing Retreat Plantation on the southwestern tip of the island in 1804, Page managed the Hampton plantation and Butler's Island. Upon Page's death in 1827, Thomas Butler King inherited the land together with his wife, Page's daughter, Anna Matilda Page King. King expanded his father-in-law's planting empire on St. Simons as well as on the mainland, and by 1835 Retreat Plantation alone was home to as many as 355 slaves. The center of life during the island's plantation era was Christ Church, Frederica. Organized in 1807 by a group of island planters, the Episcopal church is the second oldest in the Diocese of Georgia. Embargoes imposed by the War of 1812 (1812-15) prevented the parishioners from building a church structure, so they worshiped in the home of John Beck, which stood on the site of Oglethorpe's only St. Simons residence, Orange Hall. The first Christ Church building, finished on the present site in 1820, was ruined by occupying Union troops during the Civil War. In 1884 the Reverend Anson Dodge Jr. rebuilt the church as a memorial to his first wife, Ellen. The cruciform building with a trussed gothic roof and stained-glass windows remains active today as Christ Church. Civil War and Beyond The St. Simons Island Lighthouse outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 put a sudden end to St. Simons's lucrative plantation era. In January of that year, Confederate troops were stationed at the south end of the island to guard the entrance to Brunswick Harbor. Slaves from Retreat Plantation, owned by Thomas Butler King, built earthworks and batteries. Plantation residents were scattered—the men joined the Confederate army and their families moved to the mainland. Cannon fire was heard on the island in December 1861, and Confederate troops retreated in February 1862, after dynamiting the lighthouse to keep its beacon from aiding Union troops. Soon thereafter, Union troops occupied the island, which was used as a camp for freed slaves. By August 1862 more than 500 former slaves lived on St. Simons, including Susie King Taylor, who organized a school for freed slave children. But in November the ex-slaves were taken to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Fernandina, Florida, leaving the island abandoned. After the Civil War the island never returned to its status as an agricultural community. The plantations lay dormant because there were no slaves to work the fields. After Union general William T. Sherman's January 1865 Special Field Order No. 15 —a demand that former plantations be divided and distributed to former slaves—was overturned by U.S. president Andrew Johnson less than a year later, freedmen and women were forced to work as sharecroppers on the small farms that dotted the land previously occupied by the sprawling plantations. By St. Simons Lumber Mills 1870 real economic recovery began with the reestablishment of the timber industry. Norman Dodge and Titus G. Meigs of New York set up lumber mill operations at Gascoigne Bluff, formerly Hamilton Plantation. The lumber mills provided welcome employment for both blacks and whites and also provided mail and passenger boats to the mainland. Such water traffic, together with the construction of a new lighthouse in 1872, designed by architect Charles B. Cluskey, marked the beginning of St. Simons's tourism industry. The keeper of the lighthouse created a small amusement park, which drew many visitors, as did the seemingly miraculous light that traveled from the top of the lighthouse tower to the bottom. The island became a summer retreat for families from the mainland, particularly from Baxley, Brunswick, and Waycross. The island's resort industry was thriving by the 1880s. Beachfront structures, such as a new pier and grand hotel, were built on the southeastern end of the island and could be accessed by ferry. Around this time wealthy northerners began vacationing on the island. Twentieth Century The St. Simons Island Pier and Village opening in 1924 of the Brunswick–St. Simons Highway, today known as the Torras Causeway, was a milestone in the development of resorts in the area. St. Simons's beaches were now easily accessible to locals and tourists alike. More than 5,000 automobiles took the short drive from Brunswick to St. Simons via the causeway on its opening day, paving the way for convenient residential and resort development. In 1926 automotive pioneer Howard Coffin of Detroit, Michigan, bought large tracts of land on St. Simons, including the former Retreat Plantation, and constructed a golf course, yacht club, paved roads, and a residential subdivision. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a small community with only a few hundred permanent residents until the 1940s. The St. Simons Island outbreak of World War II (1941-45) brought more visitors and residents to St. Simons. Troops stationed at Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah; and nearby Camp Stewart took weekend vacations on the island, and a new naval air base and radar school became home to even more officers and soldiers. The increased wartime population brought the island its first public school. With a major shipyard for the production of Liberty ships in nearby Brunswick, the waters of St. Simons became active with German U-boats. In April 1942, just off the coast, the Texas Company oil tanker S. S. Oklahoma and the S. S. Esso Baton Rouge were torpedoed by the Germans, bringing the war very close to home for island residents. Due in large part to the military's improvement of the island's infrastructure during the war, development on the island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. More permanent homes and subdivisions were built, and the island was no longer just a summer resort but also a thriving community. In 1950 the Methodist conference and retreat center Epworth by the Sea opened on Gascoigne Bluff. In 1961 novelist Eugenia Price visited St. Simons and began work on her first works of fiction, known as the St. Simons Trilogy. Inspired by real events on the island, Price's trilogy renewed interest in the history of Georgia's coast, and the novelist herself relocated to the island in 1965 and lived there for thirty-one years. St. Simons is also home to contemporary Georgia writer Tina McElroy Ansa. Since Epworth by the Sea 1980 St. Simons's population has doubled. The island's continued status as a vacation destination and its ongoing development boom have put historic landmarks and natural areas at risk. While such landmarks as the Fort Frederica ruins and the Battle of Bloody Marsh site are preserved and maintained by the National Park Service, and while the historic lighthouse is maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, historic Ebos Landing has been taken over by a sewage treatment plant. Several coastal organizations have formed in recent years to save natural areas on the island. The St. Simons Land Trust, for example, has received donations of large tracts of land and plans to protect property in the island's three traditional African American neighborhoods. Despite its rapid growth and development, St. Simons remains one of the most beautiful and important islands on the Georgia coast.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Virtual Tours and Web Development is an Atlanta Based group of professional photographers dedicated to client success. Traditions of Braselton is an 1100 acre community just outside the sleepy town of Braselton, GA. Five minutes from I-85, this master-planned community will throw you back in time while providing easy access to the cities of Atlanta, Athens and Gainesville as well as nearby Mall of Georgia, Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell.

Envision Virtual Tours, Stuart Wade Envision Virtual Tours and High Resolution Photography is your best choice to find just what you are looking for in the Blairsville Area . Knowing the areas and resources of Lake Nottely is our specialty. Whether you're looking for fishing on Lake Nottely, information and history of Blairsville, Ga. Learn all about Blairsville, Ga. here! Blairsville, the county seat of Union County, was incorporated on December 26,1835 and remains the sole incorporated community in the county. At the heart of Downtown Blairsville is the Historic Union County Courthouse, constructed in 1899, and now home to everything from the Union County Historical Society and Friday Night Concerts to a military museum and dollhouse collection. Nearby is the Blairsville City Hall (formerly the "old" jail built in 1934). Both historical buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Blairsville's Town Square is frequently the venue for annual events such as the Downtown Spring Arts & Crafts Festival, the Memorial Day Parade, the Green Bean Festival, the Bluegrass Festival, the Sorghum Parade, Hometown Halloween on the Square, and the Christmas Parade. Everyone is invited to these family orientated celebrations! Just south of the Square, the Historical Society develops and maintains the Mountain Life Museum. It is home to the 1906 Grapel Mock House, the 1861 Payne Cabin, and annual events such as the Mountain Market and Heritage Festival. Look for live animals, heritage demonstrations, and hands-on activities such as panning for gold. There are many exciting destinations in and around Blairsville. Meeks Park, Butternut Creek Golf Course, Lake Nottely, Helton Creek Falls, and the Appalachian Trail are a few of the most well-known attractions. Blairsville is the place to be for outdoor fun. Nearly two-thirds of Union County is in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It includes Georgia's highest point, Brasstown Bald (with a visitors' center at the summit), Vogel State Park (the oldest and most popular state park in Georgia), and the Richard Russell Scenic Byway. In 2011, Blairsville was designated as an official Appalachian Trail Community. This designation recognizes Blairsville for its part in promoting awareness of the Appalachian Trail as an important national and local resource. In 2007 Blairsville was recognized as a Georgia Better Hometown, largely due to the community volunteer efforts of the Downtown Development Authority of Blairsville. Blairsville has many dedicated individuals and organizations that work together to make the city a great place to live (and to visit). Welcome to Blairsville, Georgia!

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Web is a professional photography and Web Development company serving the greater Atlanta Area Situated along the quiet flow of the Chattahoochee River, this gated, nature reserve community offers its discerning residents all the beauty of an unspoiled natural environment as well as convenient access to Atlanta. The Lodge, our new mountain-resort inspired clubhouse, embodies all that is The River Club. Its enduring architecture is immediately welcoming, and the level of service offered to members is unrivaled in all of Atlanta. From dining and golf to massage therapy and game nights, The Lodge is the center of life here. Every detail at The River Club has been crafted with a sincere respect for the land – creating the ideal place to raise a family and form lasting friendships. With stunning architecture, a signature Greg Norman golf course, our expansive Lakeside Family Sports Center, a Kids' Klub and a riverside nature trail, The River Club is very much a retreat from the hustle and hassles of everyday life. Welcome to The River Club.

CairnsCraft Design & Remodel of San Diego Awarded Best Of Houzz 2021 San Diego, CA January 27, 2021 – CairnsCraft Design & Remodel of San Diego has won a “Best Of Houzz” award for Design, and Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation and design. CairnsCraft Design & Remodel is a Design-Build Firm, dedicated to creating functional and beautiful living spaces. Our clients benefit from our years of Design Execution, Project Development, Management, and Construction, complete with a unique ability to envision, create and execute home improvements. We’re proud to receive the Best of Houzz 2015-2021 Best of Houzz was chosen by the millions of homeowners that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 2.5 million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals. “The Best Of Houzz awards are an emblem of trust and credibility for home professionals across the U.S. and around the world, and we are excited to celebrate this year’s winners,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz You can see more of CairnsCraft Design & Remodel’s work on Houzz at https://www.houzz.com/pro/sdremodeler/__public. About CairnsCraft Design & Remodel: We specialize in the design and construction of kitchens, bathrooms, home additions, and full home remodeling, including offering several cabinetry lines from custom to semi-custom for your kitchen, bathroom, and home office space. We serve clients throughout the San Diego metro area. Established in 1990 by Charles & Marie Cairns, owned and operated by highly qualified, trusted experts in home remodeling. Trust is the foundation we build upon. We take pride in our work and it shows. We are your trusted dependable partners, uniquely qualified to remodel homes to be functional and usable by anyone, regardless of age or ability. We appreciate the trust you are extending us when you invite us to your Home to work in your project. We at CairnsCraft Design & Remodel use our experience to thoughtfully guide and advise each homeowner throughout the construction process. The result is a project with architectural and design integrity, but also one that articulates “Home” for each client. Our right Team brings you the finest in results. About Houzz Houzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish. On Houzz, people can find design inspiration, research and hire home professionals, and shop for products to complete their projects. For home professionals, Houzz Pro (houzz.com/pro) provides an all-in-one software solution that empowers industry pros to stand out, win clients and manage their projects efficiently and profitably. The Houzz community is made up of millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals around the world. Houzz is available on the web and as a top-rated mobile app. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Houzz is a registered trademark of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.com.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Virtual Tours and Web Development is an Atlanta Based group of professional photographers dedicated to client success. Traditions of Braselton is an 1100 acre community just outside the sleepy town of Braselton, GA. Five minutes from I-85, this master-planned community will throw you back in time while providing easy access to the cities of Atlanta, Athens and Gainesville as well as nearby Mall of Georgia, Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The design goal was to produce a corporate or family retreat that could best utilize the uniqueness and seclusion as the only private residence, deep-water hammock directly assessable via concrete bridge in the Southeastern United States. Little Hawkins Island was seven years in the making from design and permitting through construction and punch out. The multiple award winning design was inspired by Spanish Colonial architecture with California Mission influences and developed for the corporation or family who entertains. With 5 custom fireplaces, 75+ palm trees, fountain, courtyards, and extensive use of covered outdoor spaces; Little Hawkins Island is truly a Resort Residence that will easily accommodate parties of 250 or more people. The concept of a “village” was used to promote movement among 4 independent buildings for residents and guests alike to enjoy the year round natural beauty and climate of the Golden Isles. The architectural scale and attention to detail throughout the campus is exemplary. From the heavy mud set Spanish barrel tile roof to the monolithic solid concrete portico with its’ custom carved cartouche at the entrance, every opportunity was seized to match the style and grace of the best properties built in a bygone era.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Web is a professional photography and Web Development company serving the greater Atlanta Area Situated along the quiet flow of the Chattahoochee River, this gated, nature reserve community offers its discerning residents all the beauty of an unspoiled natural environment as well as convenient access to Atlanta. The Lodge, our new mountain-resort inspired clubhouse, embodies all that is The River Club. Its enduring architecture is immediately welcoming, and the level of service offered to members is unrivaled in all of Atlanta. From dining and golf to massage therapy and game nights, The Lodge is the center of life here. Every detail at The River Club has been crafted with a sincere respect for the land – creating the ideal place to raise a family and form lasting friendships. With stunning architecture, a signature Greg Norman golf course, our expansive Lakeside Family Sports Center, a Kids' Klub and a riverside nature trail, The River Club is very much a retreat from the hustle and hassles of everyday life. Welcome to The River Club.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Lake Lanier Custom Homes Envision Web Nestled in the foothills of the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains and nurtured by the Chattahoochee and Chestatee Rivers, Lake Sidney Lanier is named for the poet Sidney Clopton Lanier, whose admiration of the area's scenic beauty inspired him to compose his famous "Song of the Chattahoochee". Lake Lanier is one of America's favorite lakes. With several million visitors annually enjoying its recreational facilities, it has been the most visited Corp of Engineers project in the nation. One reason for the lake's popularity is its proximity to metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. A well-developed road network surrounds Lake Lanier, with several highways crossing the main body. Visitors can enjoy the city of Atlanta and, in the space of a short drive, can lose themselves in the tranquility at Lake Lanier. Lake Lanier, impounded by Buford Dam, encompasses 38,000 surface acres of water with 540 miles of shorelines. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has developed and operates numerous public parks around the lake for camping and day-use activities. Lake Lanier Islands, a development by the State of Georgia and the Corps of Engineers, is the major resort area on the lake. The Islands complex provides picnicking, camping, beach areas, a water theme park, tennis courts, golf courses, rental boats, and hotel accommodations. Numerous other recreation areas operated by county and city agencies also offer recreational opportunities around the lake. Lake Lanier was host to the 1996 Centennial Olympic Rowing and Sprint/Canoe/Kayak Events, as well as the 1996 Paralympic Yachting events. These honors have helped make Lanier a world class lake.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours Envision Virtual Tours and Web Development is an Atlanta Based group of professional photographers dedicated to client success. Traditions of Braselton is an 1100 acre community just outside the sleepy town of Braselton, GA. Five minutes from I-85, this master-planned community will throw you back in time while providing easy access to the cities of Atlanta, Athens and Gainesville as well as nearby Mall of Georgia, Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell.