# 3790 - 2003 37c Southeastern Lighthouses: Tybee Island, Georgia
37¢ Tybee Island, GA
Southeastern Lighthouses
City: Tybee Island, GA
Quantity: 125,000,000
Color: Multicolored
Birth Of James Oglethorpe
Born in Surrey, England, Oglethorpe briefly attended Corpus Christi College before joining the army of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Oglethorpe served as the prince’s aide-de-camp and served with distinction during the Austro-Turkish War of 1716-18.
After the war, Oglethorpe returned to England and was elected a Member of Parliament for Haslemere in 1722. He took a special interest in the British Royal Navy, anonymously publishing “The Sailors Advocate,” pushing for improved conditions.
In 1728, Oglethorpe served on a Parliamentary committee on prison reform. In this role he witnessed the horrible treatment in three debtors’ prisons. Many of these debtors were released from prison with no support. Many of these people then went to London where they were impoverished or became criminals.
Oglethorpe and his partners developed a plan for the settlement (known as the Oglethorpe Plan) based on “agrarian equality.” Families could own up to 50 acres, including a town lot, garden plot near the town, and a 45-acre farm, though they could own more 50-acre plots if they wanted.
In 1734, Oglethorpe established the first Masonic Lodge in Georgia. Known as Solomon’s Lodge, it’s the “Oldest Continuously Operating English Constituted Lodge of Freemasons in the Western Hemisphere.”
Oglethorpe proved to be an effective leader, governing for nine years. He also banned slavery in Georgia, but not because he was opposed to the idea of it. Having slaves in Georgia posed a potential threat to the colony’s military security. The Spanish enemy nearby in Florida offered slaves freedom in exchange for military service, which was a risk Oglethorpe wasn’t willing to take. But when he successfully drove back invading Spaniards at the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742, the threat was minimized. Oglethorpe left Georgia the following year, after which, the slavery ban was lifted.
In 1743, Oglethorpe returned to England and rose through the ranks of the British Army. He raised a unit of Rangers to send to Georgia to defend against Spanish attacks, but after an unsuccessful skirmish and court-martial, he never commanded troops again.
A town, county, and college in Georgia are all named in Oglethorpe’s honor. There’s also a statue by Daniel Chester French in Savannah. Oglethorpe is depicted with his sword drawn, facing south toward his former enemy, Spanish Florida.
37¢ Tybee Island, GA
Southeastern Lighthouses
City: Tybee Island, GA
Quantity: 125,000,000
Color: Multicolored
Birth Of James Oglethorpe
Born in Surrey, England, Oglethorpe briefly attended Corpus Christi College before joining the army of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Oglethorpe served as the prince’s aide-de-camp and served with distinction during the Austro-Turkish War of 1716-18.
After the war, Oglethorpe returned to England and was elected a Member of Parliament for Haslemere in 1722. He took a special interest in the British Royal Navy, anonymously publishing “The Sailors Advocate,” pushing for improved conditions.
In 1728, Oglethorpe served on a Parliamentary committee on prison reform. In this role he witnessed the horrible treatment in three debtors’ prisons. Many of these debtors were released from prison with no support. Many of these people then went to London where they were impoverished or became criminals.
Oglethorpe and his partners developed a plan for the settlement (known as the Oglethorpe Plan) based on “agrarian equality.” Families could own up to 50 acres, including a town lot, garden plot near the town, and a 45-acre farm, though they could own more 50-acre plots if they wanted.
In 1734, Oglethorpe established the first Masonic Lodge in Georgia. Known as Solomon’s Lodge, it’s the “Oldest Continuously Operating English Constituted Lodge of Freemasons in the Western Hemisphere.”
Oglethorpe proved to be an effective leader, governing for nine years. He also banned slavery in Georgia, but not because he was opposed to the idea of it. Having slaves in Georgia posed a potential threat to the colony’s military security. The Spanish enemy nearby in Florida offered slaves freedom in exchange for military service, which was a risk Oglethorpe wasn’t willing to take. But when he successfully drove back invading Spaniards at the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742, the threat was minimized. Oglethorpe left Georgia the following year, after which, the slavery ban was lifted.
In 1743, Oglethorpe returned to England and rose through the ranks of the British Army. He raised a unit of Rangers to send to Georgia to defend against Spanish attacks, but after an unsuccessful skirmish and court-martial, he never commanded troops again.
A town, county, and college in Georgia are all named in Oglethorpe’s honor. There’s also a statue by Daniel Chester French in Savannah. Oglethorpe is depicted with his sword drawn, facing south toward his former enemy, Spanish Florida.