Tybee Breeze

These snippets are based on a large record book kept in a safe at City Hall containing
the handwritten minutes of council meetings and other happenings in the Town of
Tybee from 1887 until 1925. I have tried to find those items that will be of the
greatest interest and amusement to Tybee readers of a century later. I include many
names since it was apparent from the start that a lot of Tybee folks of today will
know, indeed be related to, some of these people of yesteryear.
Random Ramblings from
1890 - 1891 Council Meetings
Property Tax Appeals - At the Town Council
meeting of July 15, 1890, a “Communication was
read from Messrs Bohand Floyd and S. Reynolds
relative to excessive [property] taxes, to which the
Clerk was instructed to reply and inform Messrs
Bohand Floyd and S. Reynolds that the assessment
committee had done what they considered justice to
all parties in making their valuations and that
Council could not consider any appeal for reduction
in their taxation.” I believe this same committee now
works for the Chatham County Board of
Equalization.
All’s Well That Ends Well - The regular council
meeting of August 8, 1890, added two new
committees - one to look into a request from William
B. Stilwell and others to build “street railway”
through certain streets on the island and the other
to determine the cost of fencing in the “Park.”
Following that, the Clerk was instructed to ask the
Tybee Beach Company to remove an obstructive
sign post on the strand placed to advertise the
company’s streets and lots. Then, Councilman Blum
reported that he was unable to “affect the insurance
of the ‘Town Hall.’” There was no indication whether
this was related to hurricane threats. [Hurricanes
were rampant in the 19 th century with the big blow
of 1893 just three years off.] The meeting ended
when “An invitation was read from Councilman Blum
to the Mayor and Councilmen of the Town of Tybee
to accept his hospitality at the ‘Ocean House’ after
the meeting of Council.” His invitation was
“Accepted.”
Liquor Licenses Too High – Recall that at Tybee’s
first council meeting of April 25, 1890 the price of a
liquor license was set at $100 per year. Actually, it
was “the price of a license to sell malt, vinous or
spirituous liquors within the limits of said town.” A
year later, at its meeting of April 10, 1891, council
upped the license fee for “dealers in malt, vinous or
14 Tybee Breeze
Written by Bernie Goode
spirituous liquors” to $150. Other fees set at that
meeting included hotel and boarding house
keepers, keepers of public eating and billiard tables
as well as tables where pool is played - $5 per
table; rifle range - $5; lunch stand, lemonade stand,
soda water stand, lunch counter, eating stand, fruit
stand - $10; amusement show houses, aerial
tramways, restaurants or eating houses, livery
stables - $5; owners of vehicles for hire - $5. With
these bargains, apparently some citizens felt the
liquor license fee was too high. On May 19, 1891,
Messrs Naylor, Graham, Smith, Tosatch, and Ryan
asked Council to reconsider the liquor fee. At its
meeting of June 16, 1891, Council passed a
resolution rolling the fee back to $100: “Whereas
the license fee for selling liquor in the Town of Tybee
for the present fiscal year has been found to be
larger than the business of the town warrants and a
lesser license fee should be established, Be it
resolved that the license fee for selling liquor in the
Town of Tybee for the fiscal year ending May 1 st ,
1892 be placed at the sum of one hundred dollars.”
Engineer Hired, Attorney Fired – July 22, 1891:
“The Mayor reported that the overflow from the
water works was running into the ground of George
Wortham.” [Many of you know Tybee resident
Michael Bart who is George Wortham’s great
grandson. You can read more about Wortham and
his land on the plaque at Memorial Cemetery.] This
led to a resolution authorizing the Committee on
Drainage and Sanitation “to employ an engineer to
ascertain levels and the cost of constructing a
sewer for drainage purposes and to report the
same back to Council.” After considering bids for
the position of Corporation Attorney, Council
selected O’Connor and O’Byrne at an annual salary
of $150. This led to a resolution to terminate the
services of the current attorney: “Resolved that the
Mayor and Councilmen regret on account of the
amount of compensation exacted by Mr. J.R
Saucey, Jr. as Attorney for the Town of Tybee for the
ensuing year they are compelled to decline his
services.”