From Driftwood Beach, we continued our counterclockwise journey around the island. We passed by the Horton House and the Historic District before arriving at the Ben Fortson Parkway, (i.e. what the Jekyll Island Causeway is called once on the island). Continuing south on Riverview Drive took us past the Tidelands Nature Center, Summer Waves water park, and the "Marina that Never Was" before reaching the St. Andrews Picnic Area.

Like the Clam Creek Picnic Area, the St. Andrews Picnic Area features beach access, picnic areas with grills, and walking trails. Instead of a large pier, St. Andrews has a two-story wildlife viewing platform. Also featured here is the newly renovated Wanderer Memorial.

In September 1857, a masted sailing ship named The Wanderer departed for the west coast of Africa on a secret (and very much illegal) mission. Even though the importation of slaves was officially banned in 1808, demand for slaves was still quite high in the south, and enforcement of the ban was not sufficient to actually end the practice. The ship's owner, William Corrie, saw an opportunity to make a great deal of money. The ship that was originally designed to be a pleasure schooner was extensively modified to carry up to 600 people on a long voyage.

The Wanderer traveled to the African nation of Angola and loaded a cargo 487 slaves on October 18, 1858. Forty-two days later, the ship arrived at Jekyll Island on the morning of November 28, 1858, thus making The Wanderer the last documented ship to bring slaves to the US. The 409 slaves who survived the journey were unloaded and secretly dispersed throughout Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.

In November 2008, the Jekyll Island Museum dedicated a memorial to those who made that horrific journey. I saw that steel sculpture and storyboards during my first visit to the island back in 2014. A renovated and expanded Wanderer memorial was opened to the public in November 2018.

A series of storyboards provide information about the ship and its journey.

The storyboards in the photos above and below explain the timeline of events.

A storyboard explaining the timeline of events.

Once The Wanderer arrived in Jekyll Island, it didn't take long for political leaders in Washington DC to receive word of the ship's arrival and purpose. The ship was impounded and the captain and crew of the ship along with the ringleaders of the mission were eventually put on trial. And in a not-so-bright-spot in our history, all parties involved were acquitted in May 1860.

Part of the renovated memorial is the Wanderer Memory Trail which tells the story of Umwalla, a survivor of the voyage.

The photo above is of the survivors registry, which is a continuous work in progress as more information about Wanderer survivors is uncovered.

The stops along the trail tell pieces of Umwalla's story.

The station seen in the photo above describes how roughly 487 young Africans were kidnapped, bound together, and marched to the coast. They were loaded into small dugout canoes and taken to the waiting Wanderer that was waiting off shore.

The next station described the "Miserable Voyage" that lasted 42 days. Of the 487 slaves that were loaded onto the ship, only 409 survived the journey.

The next station tells the story of arriving in, "A Strange New World" where slaves were sold and dispersed throughout the south. I believe the small platform on the right of the photo above represents an auction stage where slaves were sold.

The next station describes, "A Life of Slavery."

The photo above explains how music remained a significant part of a slave's life.

The photo above describes the effect slavery had on the food we eat.

Even though slaves now thousands of miles away from home, they still held onto many of their traditions.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law in 1863 which freed all slaves in Confederate states. Slavery was officially abolished in all of the United States with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution in 1865.

The new Wanderer Memorial and Wanderer Memory Trail were dedicated on November 17, 2018.

The Wanderer Memorial Trail leads visitors to the Wildlife Viewing Platform that was dedicated in 2010.

The platform was built along the shore and offers some amazing views across Jekyll Sound.

We arrived at the perfect time to get some great shots of the approaching sunset.

The colors in the sky were pretty amazing !

Zooming in on the shore of St. Andrews Beach.

A four-picture panorama shot looking across Jekyll Sound.

Another panorama shot looking away from the sunset, (hence the normal colors).

The Sidney Lanier Bridge is visible in the distance.

Looking down at the shore of St. Andrews Beach.

Zooming in on the marshlands at St. Andrews Beach.

Zooming in on the marshlands at St. Andrews Beach.

Zooming in on the marshlands at St. Andrews Beach.

Zooming in on the marshlands at St. Andrews Beach.

Zooming in on the marshlands at St. Andrews Beach.

We spotted a tugboat passing by.

A tugboat heading inland.

We came down from the viewing platform for more pics.

This is the Mary Bennett.