2024 Places in Peril

Story:

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, the Hogg Hummock community (also known as Hog Hammock) on Sapelo Island faces a renewed threat to its historically significant design and cultural heritage. Home to one of the last remaining Gullah Geechee communities in the United States, Hogg Hummock was established by direct descendants of West Africans who were enslaved on the plantations of coastal Georgia. Following the Civil War, these formerly enslaved peoples settled on Sapelo Island and purchased over 400 acres of land. As with other Gullah Geechee communities, Hogg Hummock developed a distinct, interconnected culture of subsistence and cooperative living, due in part to the relative isolation from communities on the mainland.

Threat:

Now, like many areas in the Gullah Geechee corridor, Hogg Hummock faces persistent pressures that threaten the historic fabric of their community. As recognized by existing zoning regulations, Hogg Hummock has unique needs in regard to its historic resources, traditional patterns of development and threat from land speculators and housing forms. In spite of this language, recent rezoning will allow homes to be constructed that double the size of the current limits, which can contribute to land value increases which could further force the removal of the Gullah Geechee. This change in policy was enacted with little to no input from the public and directly conflicts with the intent of existing zoning regulations to reserve Hog Hummock for low intensity residential and cottage industry which are environmentally sound and will not contribute to land value increases.

Update:

Following a Georgia Supreme Court ruling affirming residents’ right to challenge the zoning changes, 85% of voters supported repealing the ordinance in a January 2026 referendum. In August 2026, McIntosh County adopted new zoning regulations limiting homes to 1,550 square feet under roof, plus 400 square feet of porch space. While the decision restores restrictions intended to preserve the community’s traditional scale, residents continue to express concerns about potential loopholes and insufficient historic preservation protections. The developments represent significant progress, though efforts to safeguard Hogg Hummock’s cultural heritage remain ongoing. Read More.

For more information, please visit Keep Sapelo Geechee

Hogg Hummock or Hog Hammock?
The Gullah-Geechee community refers to the residential area on Sapelo as Hog(g) Hummock, rather than the spelling Hog Hammock which is more commonly used by the County and others. We have chosen to use the name that the residents use when referring to the community.

Disclaimer: The Georgia Trust does not own nor has any direct involvement with this historic site. The Trust’s involvement is limited to listing it on our Places in Peril list to bring awareness to it.

Images by Brian Brown/Vanishing Georgia