In 1924, 11-year-old Eleanor “Sandy” Torrey West first arrived on Ossabaw Island, a remote barrier island off the coast of Georgia. Her family had bought the roughly 26,000-acre island as a winter retreat, but what began as a childhood escape eventually turned into West’s lifelong conservation mission. In 1959, she inherited the island and spent decades resisting proposals for resorts and other development. However, in 1978, after years of financial pressure, West and her family sold the island to Georgia for $8 million, reportedly about half its assessed value. By accepting this amount for a property appraised at $16 million, she effectively forfeited $8 million in market value on the condition that the island become the state’s first Heritage Preserve.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
