More Okefenokee NWR (In Pictures)

Judy was on duty at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, so we returned.  And are glad we did.  We got to spend some time with her and she took us on a tour out to the Chesser Homestead. We also took a guided boat tour of the old Suwanee Canal and Chesser Prairie.

It was a great day to be in the swamp!  Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Chesser Homestead

While we were are Okefenokee National Wildlife Preserve, we took the Swamp Island Drive and stopped at the Chesser Homestead.

In the late 1880's W.T. Chesser and his family settled in the eastern area of the Okefenokee Swamp.  Over time, they had seven children, two of which stayed in the area.  In 1927, Tom Chesser built a homestead which is one display today.

It gives some insight into what life was like in the days before the Depression in a place a long way from the nearest town.  The house is quite impressive as are the grounds with many different facets.

Seems to me that this was a big house after all the additions.

There was a small living room, two bedrooms, one with a sewing table set up.

The kitchen had a nice stove and a large table.  Looked like they had a fair amount of room.
Outside, they built a number of functional areas:

Smoke House and Storage Shed; Work Area and Syrup Making Vat; Mounted Hand Crank Drill Press

Sugar Cane Mill, Hog Pen, Chicken Yard and Coop, Vegetable Garden

I took one last photo of the back side of the house before we departed.  The Chesser Homestead is one of the more well done displays we have seen of how life once was.

Thanks for checking out the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

Day Trip - Okenfenokee National Wildlife Refuge

We are staying at the King's Bay Naval (Submarine) Base near St. Mary's Georgia.  The campground here is great (Eagle Hammock RV Park).  Since we are going to be here a few days, we started exploring the area and took a day trip to Okenfenokee NWR.

Okefenokee ("Land of the Trembling Earth") NWR was established in 1937 and spans 402,000 acres of swamp, lakes, rivers is one of the largest and best preserved fresh water systems in America.

Over the years, the area has been intended for a number of different uses.  Back in 1891, the Suwannee Canal Company bought the land from Georgia and intended to drain the swamp, harvest the Cypress trees and turn the area into farm land.  That company went bankrupt, sold it to another who built a railroad nearby and logged over 431 million feet of lumber before the Depression hit and operations ceased.

A few years later it became a National Wildlife Refuge.

As we drove on to the property, it seemed as if it is well maintained and well funded which is nice to see.  The NWR is a great place to do a lot of different things including, hiking, fishing, hunting, nature photography and wilderness canoeing.

The Visitor's Center is situated near a training building, gift shop and canoe/pontoon boat guide area.  Near one of the buildings, there was some new construction and additions to the facility.  Large and small groups come to the NWR and take advantage of the educational and nature opportunities.

 The Visitor's Center has a number of interactive displays and informational stations along with a short video and a story telling kiosk.  It is very well done.

Out behind the facility is a canal and boat launch.  

Some hardy souls were off on a guided boat tour of the grounds.  We opted for a picnic lunch and walked around the grounds.

A fellow RVer and blogger Judy of "Travels with Emma" fame, got in touch with us and said to come on over for a tour.  We didn't know she was here until after we returned, but we hope to connect with her in a few days and do just that.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...