Today’s mystery is a waterfront. Just what waterfront is it? Try your skills in making this determination, then send your answers to ebrack2@gmail.com and be sure to tell us your hometown.
The last mystery photo produced quite a few correct answers, although there are always a few incorrect ones, too.
Sara Burns of Duluth told us: “This is Christ’s Church at Frederica, St. Simon’s Island, Ga. My husband and I visited it during the last century after reading Eugenia Price’s historical novels about her beloved island. In fact, she is buried in this Episcopalian cemetery.”
Holly Moore, Suwanee, added: “Founded as a mission, this parish dates back to 1736 and the missionaries, John and Charles Wesley. It became the second church in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia in 1824 and continues to be an active Episcopal parish today. The current building was built in 1884.”
The photo came from Rick Krause of Lilburn. Others getting the right answer included: David Will, Lilburn; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; Billy Chism, Toccoa; Larry Key, Cumming; Bryan Ginn, Evans; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; David Williams, Buford; Susie Duke, Norcross; Virginia Klaer, Duluth; Lori Anderson, Norcross; and Annette Summerour, Duluth.
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, gave us a larger answer, which informed us: “Today’s mystery photo is of the Christ Church, Frederica, an Episcopal church affectionately called This Way to Heaven by the locals on Saint Simon’s Island. It was commissioned in 1884 by lumber baron Anson Greene Phelps Dodge Jr. (1850 – 1898) to replace an earlier, ca.1820 wooden church that was heavily damaged during the Civil War. When Dodge Jr. decided to rebuild the church, he did so incorporating as many parts of the original church as possible and dedicating it to his late wife, Ellen Ada Phelps Dodge (1853 – 1879), whose remains lie beneath the altar.
“Much of the church was constructed and carved by shipbuilders that featured a timber roof resembling an inverted ship’s hull. The most cherished features of the church are the 20 Tiffany-style, stained-glass windows. While many people believe that all of the windows are made by Tiffany, there is actually only one authenticated window that is attributed to Tiffany Studios. It is the “Boy Jesus in the Temple”, located on the west wall near the Hampton Street entrance and is clearly marked with “Tiffany Studios N.Y. 1917”.
“Of course, I would be remiss if I did not include a couple of obscure facts:
- “The Church Was Built by a Body Smuggler: Anson Dodge Jr.’s wife, Ellen, died in 1879 of cholera during their honeymoon in India. At the time, the British colonial authorities had strict quarantine laws in effect that generally prohibited the transport of cholera victims’ remains. Rather than accept a local burial, Dodge Jr. reportedly had her body embalmed, sealed in a lead-lined coffin, and shipped back to the U.S., allegedly without official permission. After completing the church, Anson Dodge Jr. buried her beneath the altar.
- “’This Way to Heaven’ was literally a sign: At times, the church could be difficult to see from the main road as it was nestled amongst a number of majestic, live oak trees covered in hanging Spanish moss. To help tourists locate the site, locals put up a sign along Frederica Road with an arrow pointing towards the church’s entrance. It was humorously labeled as ‘This Way to Heaven’ and soon became a beloved photo-op spot and quirky attraction, symbolizing both spiritual direction and Southern charm.”
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Click here to send an email and please mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
