In December of 1919, the leadership of Saint-John’s-Haven published a pamphlet, “Small Craft,” and a plea for donations. The institution, a foster home on St. Simons Island for boys under the age of fourteen, was due to celebrate its third Christmas. It had opened in September 1917 with only three boys and was now home to 42.
Image courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Saint John's Haven Booklet
Although the location of the home is unclear, the pamphlet contains a vivid account of the boys’ daily lives on St. Simons. George W. Jones, who founded the home, had previously worked as the assistant director at the Anson Dodge Home near Christ Church. The boys worked in the home’s garden from 6:00 to 6:45 every morning, attended school, and did more work on the buildings and land from 3:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon. The schedule indicated that time was made for the boys to swim in the ocean whenever possible, especially since the home was located only half a mile from the beach.
Image courtesy of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Saint John's Haven Booklet Back Cover
Donations flowed into Saint-John’s-Haven, many in materials rather than cash. The 1919 pamphlet, which highlighted previous gifts, included a weekly donation of 75 loaves of bread and a monthly donation of six gallons of marshmallow creme. A daily menu showed that the boys ate baked apples and grits for breakfast; scalloped oysters and rice with tomato for dinner; and a school lunch of marshmallow creme sandwiches, sourced from the ample gift.
To live at Saint-John’s-Haven, which was “Christian but non-sectarian,” boys did not have to be orphans, and their parents did not have to supply the full $15 per month required for their care. Instead, the pamphlet noted, they simply “had to be in actual distress.” The home proudly reported several success stories. One was the boy featured on both covers of the pamphlet, seen here as a younger child. At the time the pamphlet was published, he was in school in North Carolina. Saint-John’s-Haven appealed to readers’ Christmas spirit, promising that with donors’ help, the home would be a festive place to be during the holidays. “If all our boys could gather around you for about a minute,” the pamphlet said, “it wouldn’t take any fixed up Christmas cards to make you understand what a joyous Christmas we wish yours to be.”
The images shown here are from the pamphlet, which is preserved in the Coastal Georgia Historical Society archives. If have more information about Saint-John’s-Haven and the boys who lived there, we invite you to contact us at curator@coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
Coastal Georgia Historical Society presents this article and images from our archives as part of our mission “to connect people to Coastal Georgia’s dynamic history.” The Society operates the iconic St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the World War II Home Front Museum, housed in the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach. To learn more about the Society, its museums, diverse programs, and membership, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
