Christ Church, Frederica

Christ Church on St. Simons Island traces its history to 1736, when John and Charles Wesley preached to the colonists of Frederica, and the present building was raised after Union troops damaged the earlier church during the Civil War. Its best-known story is the light in the churchyard: a young woman buried in the antebellum years is said to have been so afraid of the dark that her husband left a candle on her grave each night, and after his death the glow still appeared. Island residents and visitors told of seeing a light in the cemetery for generations, though the story has many versions and new development has blocked some of the old views. The church is a working Episcopal parish and its grounds and cemetery are open to respectful visitors.