St. Simons Island, Georgia · Est. 1910

The Strachan Carriage House

A Legacy of Island Life

The History

Built about 1910 as a part of a summer estate for F.D.M. Strachan, Glynn County’s first millionaire. The Strachan Carriage House stands today as one of St. Simons Island‘s most storied and beloved landmarks.

The Strachan family made their fortune at the turn of the century as brokers for steam and sailing ships which hauled cotton and timber from Georgia ports to eager overseas markets.

Father F.G. Strachan was a clipper ship captain who sailed from the UK to Persia and the Far East before founding Strachan Shipping Company in Savannah. His son F.D.M. Strachan was a power broker in Brunswick serving on the boards of the bank, the streetcar, and promoting the area’s potential for business and outdoor life. During World War I he served on the national shipping board to make sure essential goods reached soldiers during the conflict. Strachan was an experienced yachtsman and a member of the New York Yacht Club where he won the prestigious Astor Cup.

F.D.M. Strachan

“To taunt the other millionaires across the water, he instructed his servants to burn the house lights brightly every night — to give the appearance that he was enjoying lively parties.”

Quote from Archives

The Compound

Beach Lawn — An Island Estate

The compound at Beach Lawn was a world unto itself. It included the grand main house with a detached kitchen, two servant buildings, a large cistern the children used as a swimming pool, two Spanish-American War cannons aimed defiantly at Jekyll Island, and the two-story carriage house that stands to this day.

A Chronicle of Stewardship

1910

F.D.M. Strachan builds Beach Lawn on the former Retreat Plantation property at the south end of St. Simons Island, complete with the two-story carriage house.
1966

US Congressman William Stuckey of the Stuckey Pecan Company purchases the home so that his children could enjoy perfect childhood summers on the island.
1976

Sara and Joe Edwards of the Edwards Pie Company acquire the main house and property, planning to use it as a Christian youth retreat. They renovated the carriage house into a private residence and added the swimming pool.
1978

The renovated carriage house is featured in the April edition of Southern Living magazine.
1986

The main house is placed on 2 barges and relocated to Daufuskie Island, SC, where it stands today as the clubhouse for Haig Point. The carriage house remains on St. Simons Island. The well cover is now the gazebo that stands next to the historic lighthouse.
1997

After expert restoration by Larry and Sybil d’Amico, the Strachan Carriage House is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
2004

Patty & Todd Deveau purchase the Strachan Carriage House and welcome island vacationers to share and to enjoy their historic island home.

The historic Strachan Carriage House is reminiscent of the time when Victorian ladies and gentlemen stepped off their verandas to ride Henry Ford’s automobiles into the roaring twenties — and most guests today choose to give the family chauffeur the week off.

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