Isle of Hope: old cottages on a tidal bluff

The oldest housing in this guide

The Isle of Hope National Historic District grew over about a century from the early 1800s. It holds a few antebellum houses, Greek Revival houses from the mid 1800s, later Victorian and Neoclassical houses, early twentieth century Craftsman bungalows and vernacular cottages, and two wood frame churches from the 1870s (Historic Savannah Foundation). Larger historic homes line Bluff Drive and smaller cottages sit on inland lots. A railroad reached the island in 1871. The community had 2,357 residents in 2020 and 1,067 housing units (Wikipedia, read 2 November 2026).

Tabby and why it needs care

Tabby is lime, water, sand, oyster shell and ash, used on the Southeast coast from the late 1500s to the 1850s. Oglethorpe brought it to Georgia in 1736. Noble Jones's fortified tabby house at Wormsloe, about a mile away, is a surviving example. Tabby is vulnerable to water and should be kept stuccoed and clear of roots and vines (New Georgia Encyclopedia). If an old foundation or garden wall on Isle of Hope looks like crushed shell in concrete, treat it gently and ask someone who has worked with it.

Ground and water

Isle of Hope sits on a horseshoe bend of the Skidaway River, surrounded by tidal water: the Moon, Herb and Skidaway Rivers and the Intracoastal Waterway. Marsh soils like the Bohicket series are flooded by seawater twice a day, with the water table at the surface all year (USDA official series description). Lots near the edge are the ones most likely to have wet crawl spaces and rot at the sills. See the crawl space page.

Permits and review

Unincorporated Chatham County handles building permits through Building Safety and Regulatory Services, (912) 201-4300. Isle of Hope is a National Register district, but we could not confirm whether the county applies a local design review here, so ask first. See the permit guide.

Places you give as directions

Bluff Drive, the Isle of Hope Marina, Wormsloe's oak avenue on Skidaway Road, and the Methodist church that predates the Civil War. The area was a refuge from Savannah's yellow fever outbreaks, and scenes from Glory and Forrest Gump were filmed here.

Working on an old house the right way

A house this age often has hand cut framing, old growth lumber and brick piers in lime mortar. Hard modern patches can do damage, so ask whoever looks at the house what experience they have with it and how they would match the old materials. Ask whether the sills and the first joists can be repaired rather than replaced. Photograph the piers, the sills and the crawl space vents before anything is touched, and keep the pictures with any permit paperwork.

Where these facts come from

Read on 2 November 2026.

• Historic Savannah Foundation: Isle of Hope.
• Wikipedia: Isle of Hope, Georgia.
• New Georgia Encyclopedia: Tabby.
• USDA official series description, Bohicket.