The history of Long Point
During the Revolutionary War days, the area around Long Point’s pool and tennis courts was called Bucknife. It was a farming plantation in which some corn and cotton were grown, but not much else. Bucknife was never a significant factor in military action in Savannah. It may, however, have been the site of the infamous duel fought near Savannah in which Button Gwinnett was shot on May 16, 1777, and died three days later. Gwinnett was a Governor of Georgia and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Long Point originally was owned by a British Loyalist who was forced to give it up after the Revolutionary War. The “Commissioner of Confiscated Estates” handed over the property to Lyman Hall, who later became Governor of Georgia. He also was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Archaeological study and excavation caused this site to be included in the national Register of Historic Places…before a bulldozer dumped too much of Bucknife into Gray’s Creek. Bricks from one of the early settler’s homes can still be fished out of the creek near where the dock now is, but this was a long time ago.
There is a rumor that a chest of Blackbeard’s booty was buried somewhere near the bluff in the old Bucknife area by an old gent from Normandy, France, named Gnol, who more or less was the leader of 17 castaways abandoned by Blackbeard in 1716. The chest was never found. (Information provided by Mac Merritt, a resident of Long Point.)
Do you know that the original concept plan for Long Point included a nine-hole golf course? Back then, the development was called Long Point Plantation, Ltd. and included land that now is part of the Merritt Complex next door. The golf course ran along Johnny Mercer Blvd., down Highway 80, left at Highway 80 until the marsh area, and then back to the development. Where the pool now is would have been a Clubhouse, Marina, and practice putting green wrapped around some Townhouses.
The main road (now Lyman Hall) remains the same, but there was no Gray’s Creek Drive. Off Lyman Hall were small streets with a turnaround to access the lots. There were additional homes east of the front gate bordering the golf course. Just below these building sites ran a road, and across the road were additional lots that overlooked the marsh. Outside of Long Point there was a small landing strip on the left side of Johnny Mercer Blvd. The landing site would have been about midpoint of The Merritt Complex.
Long Point Plantation, Ltd. filed the original Declaration of Covenants for Long Point, a subdivision of a portion of the Goette Tract, on March 29, 1985. Troy A. Bouy, William J. Hall, and Henry D. Howard were the general partners.
A number of subdivision sections had been developed by the partnership until the early 1990s, wherein Bankers First then took over the development of Long Point. The bank continued developing the various sections. Bankers First became SouthTrust Bank and continued the process until approximately 1998. At that time, Long Point was fully developed, and a few remaining lots were sold by the bank to other parties. In addition, the Long Point Property Owners Association, Inc. took over the management of Long Point.