ENROLL IN ISLE OF HOPE 101
Noel Wright is an Isle of Hoper. He has lived on the island since 1944. He married Ruthie, his childhood sweetheart and next door neighbor on Bluff Drive. He kept busy over the years as a fisherman, shrimp boat owner, hunter, airplane pilot, airplane crasher, scuba diver, competitive cyclist, cycle crasher, tennis player, nature photographer, and wood turner. All the while, he sopped up every bit of information he heard about Isle of Hope. Here are a collection of his notes.
“Harry L. Hucks (1910-1994), Isle of Hope”
Noel and Ruthie Wright remember Harry Hucks, who came to Isle of Hope in 1918 and became a noted commercial fisherman on his boats, the “Mickey Mouse” and the “Dill Pickle”
“Glatney Landing”
Noel tells the history of “Glatney Landing”, also known as “Shell Landing”, a riverbank landing opposite what is now 57 and 59 Bluff Drive. He includes a tale of a B-25 bomber that was towed to “Glatney Landing” after crashing near Isle of Hope in 1945.
“Isle of Hope Marina”
Noel gives a history of the Isle of Hope marina and its owners beginning in the 1920s, starting with the Hallman family and on to the Bandys, Barbees, Bradys, and Wallers.
“Dedication of Wymberley Oaks”
Fifty-one years after the planting of live oaks along Richmond Drive, Noel provides his recollection of Isle of Hope and Wymberley in the 1940s before the area became a popular subdivision.
“The Hardee-Pierpont (Now Baker) House”
Noel gives a brief history of one of Isle of Hope’s most historic houses, Whitehall Plantation, whose property was owned by Isle of Hope original settler Henry Parker, his widow Ann, Civil War General Parker White, Charles Hardee, and Savannah mayor Wallace Pierpont.
“Hurricanes at Isle of Hope”
Noel gives a history of hurricanes hitting Isle of Hope in 1893, 1947, 1979, and 1999.
“Hurricane Matthew”
Noel gives a first-person account of riding out Hurricane Mathew in October of 2016.
“Location of Isle of Hope’s Streetcar Terminus”
Using personal knowledge and old photographs, Noel identifies the end of Isle of Hope’s streetcar line near Rosenbrook Avenue.