Post by Chuck McCue on Aug 14, 2013 8:30:28 GMT -5
From Actors to Presidents, Johnston Island has seen its share
By R.P. Whittington
If you travel around Atlantic Beach, you're among thousands of commuters who have driven over Johnston Island – a 3.5 acre property tucked a few hundred yards beneath the Intracoastal Bridge on Atlantic Boulevard. Johnston Island is up for sale with an $8 million price tag and ready for development – a far cry from its history as a fishing camp, a popular bar and, in its early days, the place that controlled drawbridge access to and from the beaches.
Beginning in the 1940s, Johnston Island was home to bridge tender Jimmy Johnston, his wife Ruth and daughter Laura.
"My dad operated the drawbridge on Atlantic Boulevard for nearly 18 years," says daughter Laura Perkins, now a spry 76 years. She lived on the island until she married in 1958.
"It was a popular place," she said. "I remember mostly family visiting a lot while I was growing up."
Along with bridge tending duties, her father operated a boat dock, fueling station and Jimmy Johnston's Fish Camp – which opened in 1944 and proved a popular spot for local fishermen and boat owners.
"I haven't fished in years, probably ‘cause in those days we fished all the time," Laura said.
She says former president Herbert Hoover was on board his yacht and stopped in to gas up once, a visit his father talked of often.
Jimmy Johnston was a resilient man. As an 18-year old, he fell from a water tower he was painting on Fort George Island. Doctors told him he would never walk again – but he did, with the aid of crutches, for most of his life.
"He could fish, shrimp, operate the drawbridge…he could do everything expect chase us when we were little," Laura said with a laugh.
In 1985, about 10 years after her father passed away, the family leased out the property and ‘Rum Runners' restaurant was built on the west side of the island.
The island's caretaker, a 60ish man who avoids publicity and goes by only ‘Harris,' says the island remained popular with residents until the restaurant closed in 1992. For years he remembers residents stopping by on weekends bringing covered dishes, roasting oysters and just "having a good ‘ol time."
And the island continued to have its share of unexpected celebrities.
"Once, the Calypso (the famed ship captained by modern Sea Explorer Jacques Cousteau) broke down and they had to come in for repairs," Harris said. "We were invited to tour the boat. Afterward, we invited the crew, about 12 to 15 folks, to come to the island for a big feast (Cousteau and his wife had already taken a flight out of town). Only one of the crew spoke English, but very little. I remember the crew chasing after the women, some of them married. It was funny to me. Of course, I wasn't married to ‘em."
Character actor Will Corry also made the island his home. Corry was the ‘heavy' for early western TV series like "Have Gun, Will Travel" and "Gunsmoke," and appeared in the movie "Wild in the Country" with Elvis Presley. Once his acting career was over, he ended up at Johnston Island in 1997. Corry bought a boat, anchored on the east side of the island, where he lived until he passed away in 2005. The boat is still anchored there today.
The caretaker says the changes in the area have been remarkable to witness over the last 30 years.
"I used to go hog hunting off Atlantic Boulevard when I first moved here," Harris said. "It was pretty much all woods between here and St. Johns Bluff."
Even with the steady beat of progress, some things do remain constant, though: large reds still offer good fishing in the nearby marshes and, come December, boats on their way to destinations south still anchor at the island.
"It's hard to believe that the island was once in the middle of nowhere, and now it's surrounded by development," Laura concurs.
But for now, at least until it enters its next life as a condo/marina, Johnston Island is a testament of what the beaches area was like nearly a century ago.
By R.P. Whittington
If you travel around Atlantic Beach, you're among thousands of commuters who have driven over Johnston Island – a 3.5 acre property tucked a few hundred yards beneath the Intracoastal Bridge on Atlantic Boulevard. Johnston Island is up for sale with an $8 million price tag and ready for development – a far cry from its history as a fishing camp, a popular bar and, in its early days, the place that controlled drawbridge access to and from the beaches.
Beginning in the 1940s, Johnston Island was home to bridge tender Jimmy Johnston, his wife Ruth and daughter Laura.
"My dad operated the drawbridge on Atlantic Boulevard for nearly 18 years," says daughter Laura Perkins, now a spry 76 years. She lived on the island until she married in 1958.
"It was a popular place," she said. "I remember mostly family visiting a lot while I was growing up."
Along with bridge tending duties, her father operated a boat dock, fueling station and Jimmy Johnston's Fish Camp – which opened in 1944 and proved a popular spot for local fishermen and boat owners.
"I haven't fished in years, probably ‘cause in those days we fished all the time," Laura said.
She says former president Herbert Hoover was on board his yacht and stopped in to gas up once, a visit his father talked of often.
Jimmy Johnston was a resilient man. As an 18-year old, he fell from a water tower he was painting on Fort George Island. Doctors told him he would never walk again – but he did, with the aid of crutches, for most of his life.
"He could fish, shrimp, operate the drawbridge…he could do everything expect chase us when we were little," Laura said with a laugh.
In 1985, about 10 years after her father passed away, the family leased out the property and ‘Rum Runners' restaurant was built on the west side of the island.
The island's caretaker, a 60ish man who avoids publicity and goes by only ‘Harris,' says the island remained popular with residents until the restaurant closed in 1992. For years he remembers residents stopping by on weekends bringing covered dishes, roasting oysters and just "having a good ‘ol time."
And the island continued to have its share of unexpected celebrities.
"Once, the Calypso (the famed ship captained by modern Sea Explorer Jacques Cousteau) broke down and they had to come in for repairs," Harris said. "We were invited to tour the boat. Afterward, we invited the crew, about 12 to 15 folks, to come to the island for a big feast (Cousteau and his wife had already taken a flight out of town). Only one of the crew spoke English, but very little. I remember the crew chasing after the women, some of them married. It was funny to me. Of course, I wasn't married to ‘em."
Character actor Will Corry also made the island his home. Corry was the ‘heavy' for early western TV series like "Have Gun, Will Travel" and "Gunsmoke," and appeared in the movie "Wild in the Country" with Elvis Presley. Once his acting career was over, he ended up at Johnston Island in 1997. Corry bought a boat, anchored on the east side of the island, where he lived until he passed away in 2005. The boat is still anchored there today.
The caretaker says the changes in the area have been remarkable to witness over the last 30 years.
"I used to go hog hunting off Atlantic Boulevard when I first moved here," Harris said. "It was pretty much all woods between here and St. Johns Bluff."
Even with the steady beat of progress, some things do remain constant, though: large reds still offer good fishing in the nearby marshes and, come December, boats on their way to destinations south still anchor at the island.
"It's hard to believe that the island was once in the middle of nowhere, and now it's surrounded by development," Laura concurs.
But for now, at least until it enters its next life as a condo/marina, Johnston Island is a testament of what the beaches area was like nearly a century ago.