Ellen and Polly have captured the very essence of one of the Coastal Empire's jewels, Tybee Island. The book brings wonderful memories of childhood to mind as well as later memories of lost weekends.--film producer Stratton Leopold.

Tybee Island is a tiny piece of land, only-two-and-a-half miles long and two-thirds of a mile wide; however, its strategic location near the mouth of the Savannah River assigned to it an important role in the birth and history of the state of Georgia. Over this coastal community five flags have flown, representing Spain, France, England, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America. Using numerous vintage photographs from the archives of the Tybee Island Historical Society, Tybee Island guides the reader through over two hundred years of history. Although much of its history is linked to nearby Savannah, Tybee is singular among Georgia's coastal islands, and has a history and lore that is uniquely its own. This visual journey begins with the building of Georgia's oldest and tallest lighthouse, and continues through Tybee's involvement in the Civil War. Also covered are the island's later roles as a military installation, a popular coastal resort, and a residential community. Vintage photographs recall earlier days on Tybee, when the island was known as "Ocean City," "Savannah Beach," and, to some, "the best kept secret on the East Coast."

From Guale Indians and Spanish explorers to its glory days as the queen of south Atlantic beach resorts and beyond, Tybee Islands quiet charm hides a rich and occasionally violent history. Soldiers, rebels, and rumrunners all found their place in history here as great battles, fires, and hurricanes played out over time. Through centuries of change, Tybee has remained one of the Souths most popular resorts.

Set on Tybee Island, Georgia, the story is told by Bitsy, a twelve-year-old tomboy whose imagination and curiosity repeatedly get her into trouble as she searches for hidden treasure, discovers a skeleton, and faces a kidnapper. Local points of interest contribute to the story, including the Tybee Island Lighthouse and Museum, historic Fort Screven, and Chapel-By-The-Sea Baptist Church.

Discover Tybee Island's historic hotel that witnessed hurricanes, wars, a riot, murder, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. Tybee Island was a mostly undeveloped tropical island situated 12 miles east of Savannah in the 1880s when businessman Daniel Purse bought most of the island with the intention of transforming it into a seaside resort destination. There were no roads to Tybee at the time. To overcome the obstacle of a two-hour boat ride from Savannah, Purse built a railroad connecting Tybee to Savannah. Thousands of new tourists began flocking to Tybee's beautiful beaches, though most could not stay due to inadequate lodging accommodations. In 1889, Savannah National Bank president and future mayor of Savannah Herman Myers and investors constructed Hotel Tybee, which was one of the finest hotels in the country. For over seven decades, Hotel Tybee hosted vacations, conventions, social events, and gambling. The establishment was ravaged by fire in 1909 but was resurrected more magnificent than before.

Endorsed by Author Pat Conroy, Two Nostalgic Books about Tybee Island, Georgia: A Cultural History and a Photo Journal, Top Savannah's December 23, 2009 Bestseller List. Old Tybee has returned. Two cultural histories of Tybee Island recapture island life and voices over the course of a century. Complete with stories and pictures, the first of the companion books, Tybee Days: One Hundred Years on Georgia's Playground Island pays tribute to the families who visited, settled, and worked on the island from the 1860s to the 1960s, before the famous Tybrisa Pavilion burned. The book documents early attempts to develop an alternate ocean resort on nearby Arkwright Island and its resulting failure. Tybee landowners and the State of Georgia then paved the way for the first cottages to be built on the pristine island with its three-mile long beach. From steamboats to Prohibition to the Big Band era to the playful innocence of the '50s and '60s, authors Ellen Lyle Taber and Polly Wylly Cooper capture the celebration of everyday life through the eyes of Tybee's diverse population. As the island grew, it beckoned churches and schools, hotels, and shops. A young Chinese immigrant brought opportunities with his business acumen and quiet modesty. Black rivermen plied the creeks for oysters and sold their shells to build the roads. Even Tybee's children worked, delivering buckets of shrimp to neighbors, catching crabs for the evening dinner, or stocking shelves at Chu's Department Store. Tybee Days chronicles the lives of Army, lighthouse, and island children and their adventures while fishing, crabbing, swimming, camping, and exploring the creeks and hammocks in leaky wooden bateaus. The book heralds the famous bandleaders who chose to begin or end their east coast tours on the Tybrisa Pavilion. The authors, who spent their childhood summers on the magical island, interviewed more than 400 families to recreate stories of life on Tybee that are meant to both entertain and educate. Sand Between Our Toes: The Tybee Island Family Photo Album spills over with hundred of photos from private collections. Captions and anecdotes, true-life wit and witticisms introduce the locals and the famous, including Ted Turner, Johnny Mercer, and General Dwight Eisenhower. Chronicled in decades from the early 1900s to the present day. Sand Between Our Toes reminds all islanders and visitors that times may change, but the magic of Tybee remains the same, a thrilling adventure for its children.

"A sheer delight and will have readers laughing out loud by the second page." —Daytona Beach News-Journal Southern manners, mint julips, cold-blooded larceny, and sweet revenge collide in this rollicking tale from the delightfully charming New York Times bestselling author of Hissy Fit and Savannah Blues The Breeze Inn is a place where very classy Southern belle Bebe Loudermilk normally wouldn’t be caught dead. But a brief, disastrous relationship with gorgeous “investment counselor” con man Reddy has cost her nearly all her worldly possessions. All that’s left is the ramshackle 1950s motel on Tybee Island, a “drinking village with a fishing problem.” Moving into the manager’s unit, BeBe vows to make magic out of mud, and with the help of the inn’s cantankerous caretaker, Harry, and her junking friend, Weezie, she soon has the motel spiffed up and attracting paying guests. But all it takes is one Reddy sighting in Fort Lauderdale for BeBe to drop everything and haul her hastily assembled posse south to participate in a somewhat outside-the-law sting. With a little luck, BeBe might get her fortune back, Harry (who’s looking hunkier every day) might get his boat back, and Reddy might get the prison stripes he so richly deserves.