On 25 August 2025, I visited Skidaway Island State Park in Georgia. The area had just endured several days of heavy rain, leaving many of the trails flooded. The park offers multiple trails, but I had planned on hiking the 3-mile loop. I came prepared with my Nikon camera, tripod, backpack, and plenty of snacks and drinks. Still, I knew that walking those three miles in the August heat—while stopping often to take photos—would have left me too tired to enjoy much else. In the end, the flooding turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it led me to discover a hidden gem I might not have found otherwise: the nearby community of Pin Point. Founded in 1896 by formerly enslaved people and their descendants, who purchased land after the Civil War rather than inheriting it, Pin Point became a proud Gullah-Geechee settlement. Families built churches, schools, and a thriving seafood industry, preserving their culture along the marshes of coastal Georgia. Knowing that history gave the landscape around Skidaway an even deeper meaning, it was not just beautiful, but also bound to stories of resilience and survival.
Pin Point Heritage Museum
Just south of Savannah lies Pin Point Heritage Museum, located in the former A.S. Varn & Son Oyster and Crab Factory. Once the economic lifeline of the village, the site has been carefully restored and turned into an interactive museum.
Visitors can explore restored work areas, such as the crab-boiling pavilion, the picking house, and the cooling rooms, while learning how families made a living from the surrounding waters. Exhibits, photos, and videos highlight the seafood industry that sustained the people here for decades, and a short film—Take Me to the Water: The Story of Pin Point—introduces the history in a powerful way.
The museum is open Thursday through Saturday, and many tours are enriched by local guides who grew up in the community. Their personal stories make the experience more than just history—it becomes living memory. I visited on a day they were closed, but I happened to run into Dave, an employee, who kindly let me take a look around.
The Pin Point Community
The community of Pin Point was founded in the late 19th century by formerly enslaved men and women from nearby islands, including Ossabaw, Skidaway, and Green. In 1897, they built the Sweetfield of Eden Baptist Church, which also served as the community’s first school until the Rosenwald School opened in 1926.
For most of the 20th century, Pin Point revolved around the seafood and canning industries, with the oyster and crab factory at its center. Even after the factory closed in the 1980s, the community’s culture endured, preserving one of the few strongholds of Gullah-Geechee traditions in coastal Georgia. These traditions can still be observed in language, foodways, crafts such as basket weaving, and the communal lifestyle passed down through generations.
Pin Point is also known as the birthplace of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, but its true identity lies in the resilience and heritage of its people. Tucked into the marshlands along the Moon River, shaded by live oaks and surrounded by tidal creeks, it remains a serene place where history, culture, and nature converge.
Why It Matters
Pin Point is more than a stop on the map—it is a story of freedom, self-reliance, and cultural survival. The museum and community together honor the endurance of the Gullah-Geechee people, offering visitors a chance to step into a world where past and present coexist side by side.
I would have never known about this place had I not left Skidaway Island. Even though I didn’t get to enjoy the trails, I was able to enjoy the small community of Pin Point.
Until Next Time, Knowledge Is Power
