Lazaretto Creek
Encyclopedia
Lazaretto Creek is a small creek in Chatham County, Georgia
. It divides Tybee Island
from McQueens Island.
In the legislation, the erection of a lazaretto, or quarantine station, was ordered to be built on Tybee Island. 18 years later, in 1767, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) on Tybee Island's extreme western tip were purchased by Josiah Tattnall to create the quarantine station. Several hospitals there were constructed a year later, where voyagers who arrived ill were treated and those who died were buried.
The lazaretto remained in use until 1785, and when the buildings came into a state of disrepair, they were re-built on nearby Cockspur Island.
The creek, which gets its name from this hospital facility, stands as a tribute to this institution.
, but is also popular as a fishing spot and kayaking route.
Chatham County, Georgia
Chatham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The county seat and largest city is Savannah. In the official US Census of 2010, Chatham County had a total population of 265,128 . Chatham is the most populous Georgia county outside the Atlanta metropolitan area...
. It divides Tybee Island
Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia near the city of Savannah in the southeastern United States. It is the easternmost point in the state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,990. Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia near...
from McQueens Island.
History
Because of Gen. James E. Oglethorpe's opposition to the "peculiar" institution, Georgia's original charter had an antislavery provision. Seeing possible profits from the use of slave labor, Georgia's planters overruled Oglethorpe's wishes, and in 1749 repealed the anti-slavery provision and passed legislation to allow slavery in the then colony of Georgia.In the legislation, the erection of a lazaretto, or quarantine station, was ordered to be built on Tybee Island. 18 years later, in 1767, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) on Tybee Island's extreme western tip were purchased by Josiah Tattnall to create the quarantine station. Several hospitals there were constructed a year later, where voyagers who arrived ill were treated and those who died were buried.
The lazaretto remained in use until 1785, and when the buildings came into a state of disrepair, they were re-built on nearby Cockspur Island.
The creek, which gets its name from this hospital facility, stands as a tribute to this institution.
Present day
Today, the Lazaretto creek is crossed by U.S. Route 80U.S. Route 80
U.S. Route 80 is an east–west United States highway, much of which was once part of the early auto trail known as the Dixie Overland Highway. As the "0" in the route number indicates, it was originally a cross-country route, from the Atlantic to the Pacific...
, but is also popular as a fishing spot and kayaking route.