Hog Hammock

Thomas Spalding had about 400 slaves to work his plantations on Sapelo. When freed, they established several settlements about the island, these being Raccoon Bluff, Shell Hammock, Belle Marsh, Lumber Landing and Hog Hammock. former decendents developed their own way of speaking, called Gullah

There is only one community now, Hog Hammock, which is home to about 70 persons, many descended from the slaves of the various 19th century Sapelo plantations. this is one of the few surviving sites on the south Atlantic coast of ethnic African-American culture. Hog Hammock is symbolic of the historical and cultural diversity of Sapelo and the Georgia tidewater.

Near Hog Hammock is the historic Behavior cemetery, an early slave burial ground and used through succeeding generations as the final resting place of many island residents.

There are two active churches in Hog Hammock, St. Luke's Baptist and First African Baptist. The African-American congregation on Sapelo can trace its origins to 1866 when a church was organized at Raccoon Bluff. Though no longer used, the wood-frame church edifice at Raccoon Bluff still stands.