Saint Catherines

Saint Catherines Island is one of approximately 100 sandy islands that make up the Sea Islands chain along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States, stretching through South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Historically, these islands were inhabited by Native American tribes before being claimed by the Spanish and later the English. Saint Catherines Island was granted to Mary Musgrove, a Creek princess, and later came into the possession of Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The island, like others in the chain, was involved in the cultivation of crops such as rice and cotton. The Sea Islands are characterized by a subtropical climate, with marshy areas on the mainland-facing sides and sandy beaches on the ocean-facing sides, supporting diverse wildlife including deer, armadillos, dolphins, and various shorebirds.1