The 1898 Georgia Hurricane comes to Brunswick

As we sit here readying ourselves for another tropical system (Debby, please be kind to us), I thought I'd do some digging into the one storm that beats all the others in Brunswick's long history. Let's keep it that way, shall we?

The 1898 Georgia Hurricane was a major hurricane that made official landfall at Cumberland Island and to this day is the strongest on record in the state. It was first observed on Sept 29 and it maintained a general northwest track throughout its duration.  Peak winds hit 130 mph on Oct 2 as it made landfall on Cumberland Island, causing record storm surge flooding. The hurricane caused heavy damage throughout the region, and killed at least 179 people.  

Newcastle Street looking south from Monck - Marshes of Glynn Libraries Special Collections

The impact was most severe in Brunswick, where a 16 ft storm surge was recorded. This has sometimes been referred to (especially in old sources) as a "tidal wave," but storm surge is caused by the winds pushing water onshore.  The Savannah Morning News reported that Dixville was under 5 feet of water, and parts of Union Street saw up to 8 feet of water.  Even though many turn of the century homes were on pillars, some of their

Destroyed buildings on Newcastle Street near Jekyll Square
Marshes of Glynn Libraries Special Collections

parlors took in three feet of flooding.  The News reported that at its height, the floods floated business showcases right off the counters on Newcastle, and near Hanover Square waters were higher than a horse's head.  Men swam into the livery stables and fire station to rescue the horses by cutting them loose and helping them swim to safety.  Over 20 horses took refuge in the nearby First Baptist Church sanctuary.  Many refugees who swam or waded from their homes sought shelter at The Oglethorpe Hotel and other private homes that weren't flooded. The Union Depot located directly behind the Oglethorpe was five feet underwater, and the surge lifted the passenger platform completely out of place and nearly overturned a passenger train when it caught beneath the cars.

Horace Gould was on Saint Simons at the time and later wrote of his experience to a relative: “The dining room windows all burst in and the water [was] up to my waist…. The piazza was going up and down like a bucking horse and the waves were striking the sides…like a battering ram. When the water began to thump against the floor of the parlor, I feared we would have to get on the roof as the safest place in case the walls fell.”  

 

Overall damage was estimated at $1.5 million (nearly 57 million in 2024 dollars), most of which occurred in Georgia. In extreme northeastern Florida, strong winds nearly destroyed the city of Fernandina.  After moving ashore, the hurricane quickly weakened and continued northwestward until reaching the Ohio Valley and turning northeastward.  It was last observed on Oct 6 near Newfoundland. 

In addition to massive losses in the warehouses and docks along the waterfront, The News reported the following business losses due to four feet of water or more:

Dillon's wholesale Grocery and Grain

Widespread destruction along the Brunswick waterfront
Marshes of Glynn Libraries Special Collections

Sheppard's wholesale Grocery and Grain

Nathan's Store

Winter, tailor

Western Union Telegraph Office

Brunswick Savings and Trust Company

Charles J. Dorflinger, jeweler

A. C. Jeffers, grocer

James Matthews, fruits

Brunswick Book Company

Isaac Taylor, barber

Kennon Mott, jeweler

Irvin, pianos and organs

Krauss, bakery

Taylor Shoe Company

Meyer's Grocery

Fleming and Waff Bookstore

Lowenstern, liquors

Dave Kellar, liquors

Michell, liquors

Marks, liquors

Hodges, groceries

Kesseler, gun store

Owens, meats

McCleany's Stables

Minehine's Stables

Brown's Stables

Morris & Carroll's Stables

Mitchell's Stables

Baumgartner, meats

Haas, liquors

Flattened Docks along the waterfront - Vanishing Georgia

Devoe, groceries

Tankersly, harness

Busbee, produce

Douglass Hardware Company

Harrison Bros., dry goods

Bishop, druggist

Crovait, druggist

Hooden Pyle, bakery

Hirsch, dry goods

Elkan, dry goods

Lamance, statuary

Pharr, bicycles 

Bennet, shoes 

Krany & Bailey, grociers

MoGarvey, furniture. 

Daniels, plumber.

On Bay Street:
Julius May, wholesale liquors

Destroyed rail yards along Bay Street - Vanishing Georgia Archives

J. Lotte, wholesale groceries
Douglass, wholesale liquors

Brunswick Grocery Company, wholesalers

Brunswick, ginnery

Watkins, Junk

Rothschilds, groceries 

Marks, liquors

Kelly, liquors

Levison, liquors

Colson Hardware Company

Sheppard, liquors

Mason & Co., ship chandlers

The Southern Railroad warehouse

Mallory Line warehouse

Downing Company, groceries

Plant System warehouse

In Darien, 32 people were killed. Flooding and extensive damage occurred on Sapelo Island, including the destruction of First African Baptist Church and Behavior Cemetery. Further north, all of Hutchinson Island in the Savannah River was covered with up to 8 ft of water. 

At Fernandina Beach, the storm surge was estimated at 12 ft and caused extensive flooding. The October 1898 Monthly Weather Review described Fernandina as "nearly destroyed", and most anchored boats were sunk or washed inland into the marshes. Damage along the coastline reached as far south as Mayport. The hurricane was small, and despite passing 50 miles northeast of Jacksonville, produced only 60 mph winds in the city. However, for the first time in its history, all communications were cut between Jacksonville and cities further north.  

Facts from The Savannah Morning News (Oct 4 1898) and letters of Horace Gould