Jewtown, Georgia

Jewtown is an unincorporated community on St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia, United States.[1]

Jewtown, Georgia
Unincorporated community
Jewtown, Georgia is located in Georgia
Jewtown, Georgia
Jewtown, Georgia
Jewtown, Georgia is located in the United States
Jewtown, Georgia
Jewtown, Georgia
Coordinates: 31.16218°N 81.39676°W / 31.16218; -81.39676
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyGlynn
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code912
GNIS feature ID332100[1]

History

Jewtown was one of three historic African American communities on Saint Simons settled after the Civil War by emancipated slaves.[2]

The town got its name from the presence of a store established by Jewish members of the Levison family in the 1880s.[3][4] A variant name for the town was "Levisonton".[5] After the Civil War Anson Dodge and the Georgia Land and Lumber Company of New York purchased the Hamilton Plantation at Gascoigne Bluff in 1875 to build lumber mills to take advantage of strong global demand. Sig and Robert (Bob) Levison of nearby Brunswick built a general merchandise store about a mile east of the mills.[6] The store was closed in 1921.

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Jewtown, Georgia
  2. Roberts, Amy, and Patrick Halliday (2019). Gullah Geechee Heritage in the Golden Isles. Charlestown, SC: The History Press. ISBN 978-1439667644.
  3. Doster, Stephen M. G. (2008). Voices from St. Simons: Personal Narratives of an Island's Past. John F. Blair. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-89587-481-8.
  4. Fonesca, Felicia; Cone, Tracie (February 26, 2012). "From Negro Creek to Wop Draw, place names offend". NBC News. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  5. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 121. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  6. Staff writer (Mar. 2018). "How an Island Neighborhood Got its Name." Elegant Island Living. p. 122.


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