Isle of Hope's Wymberley Garden Club dedicates marker to developer James S. Richmond

More than three decades ago a loyal reader of this column suggested that I interview James S. Richmond, the driving force behind the development of Wymberley subdivision at Isle of Hope (IOH). Richmond was living at Savannah Square and proved to be a delightful addition to the “Polly’s People” archives.

Among other interesting tidbits, he told me that in 1946, when he hired men to clear the 150 acres at IOH that he bought from lumberman Bill Flinn, the trees and underbrush were so thick the heavy equipment operators had a tough time breaking ground.

“It was so wild we couldn’t even get a bulldozer in there,” he recalled of the 1946 groundbreaking.

Wymberley is located on the most southeasternly point of IOH. Adjacent to the south is Wormsloe Historic Site, which lies partly across the southern end of the island.

Richmond was a generous soul and, many years after he developed Wymberley, he deeded a small tract of marsh front at the end of Richmond Drive to the Wymberley Garden Club. Recently, Garden Club members and other interested folks, turned out to see a bronze marker unveiled on the property. The small plaque tells of Richmond’s generosity.

Kathy Shields, garden club president, said Richmond gave the property to the club in 1987 to “hold and maintain for the benefit of all property owners in Wymberley.” One homeowner who attended the ceremony was one of Richmond’s daughters, Wymberley, who was presented with a lifetime membership to the garden club.

During the development of the Wymberley subdivision, Richmond sold many of the houses he built for $8,000. No doubt, he would be surprised to hear about today’s home prices.

Putting up a marker on the small spot of land that Richmond donated to the club had been discussed for years, Shields said. When she became president in 2023, the idea gelled and a committee was formed and chaired by Nancy Tamarack. Money to purchase the plaque came in from bake sales and other fundraisers, Shields said.

“It’s a community space that’s just lovely,” she added. “We take pride in it.”

A few years ago, club members Jim Sickel and Marilyn Tarver bought a bench for the property and installed it, Shields said. Coincidentally, Sickel’s late mother was a former president of the garden club as was Jim Mintz’s mom.

“Everybody says living on Isle of Hope is like living in heaven,” Shields said. “This is our little slice of heaven,” Shields said.

Richmond named the subdivision after the eldest son of Noble Jones who lived at Wormsloe. Jones was granted ownership of Wormsloe in 1756 by King George II of England. Today, all but approximately 50 acres at Wormsloe, is owned by the state of Georgia. The privately-owned house on the property is still the home of Jones’ descendants.

Richmond named many of the streets in Wymberley for family members, including two of his other daughters, Nancy and Diana. Other streets were named for former residents, such as Col. John Estill, former owner and publisher of the Savannah Morning News.

The circa-1946 sales brochure for the new Wymberley subdivision touted it as “a modern version of the traditional estate: a subdivision of taste and discrimination for a group of several owners.

“Many tasteful homes have been built, many more under construction … Each of the homes is spotted to capture the delights of Wymberley. This one catches the glint of the sun on the water or the yachts sailing the Florida Passage, or the wonder of winter trout breaking the surface. That one listens for the sound of oysters crackling in the night – the tantalizing cackle of the marsh hen. Another marvels at a flock of white herons against a low sun sky. “

A message from Richmond, president of Wymberley Estates Inc., told potential buyers that “country life on the water awaits you but with all the conveniences of a municipality … the architects and engineers have designed a plan for Wymberley for spacious living. No lot has less than 100 feet in width – the average being 125 feet wide – and on the main drive the average frontage is 150 feet.”

Richmond also mentioned that the Wymberley Yacht Club, which was open for membership to property owners.

In the early 1950s, Richmond developed the Fairway Oaks subdivision at Waters and DeRenne avenues. He also built the white brick home on the northeast corner of Washington Avenue and Habersham Street and the two-story house with the curved staircase on Victory Drive between Paulson and Harmon streets.

Richmond died in 1993 at the age of 86.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Isle of Hope's Wymberly Garden Club dedicate marker to visionary developer