Across two decades of Reflections, few places have stirred the imagination quite like Ossabaw Island—and few people have embodied its spirit like Eleanor "Sandy" Torrey West and her loyal caretaker, Roger Parker. Together, their stories appeared in our pages in many forms: historical accounts, personal tributes, living legends. Each time, the island emerges not just as a place, but as a character all its own—wild, stubborn, generous, and unspoiled.

The Saltwater Cowboy

Originally published in Reflections Vol.11, No.2

In "The Saltwater Cowboy" by Penny Gregory, readers met Roger Parker—a Richmond Hill native whose six decades on Ossabaw turned him into a Lowcountry folk hero. Roger wrangled wild longhorn cattle, pigs descended from 16th-century Spanish settlers, and the donkeys Sandy West once ferried over in a Volkswagen van. With his weathered cowboy boots and gravelly laugh, Roger was the bridge between wilderness and stewardship, between labor and love. Through him, we saw an Ossabaw few ever would: not the glamorous retreat of the Torrey family, but the raw, beating heart of a place that demanded devotion.

The Visionary of Ossabaw

Originally published in Reflections Vol.3, No.2

Eleanor "Sandy" Torrey West—artist, conservationist, philosopher—became the island's voice and protector. Born into privilege, she chose preservation. As recounted in Julie Osteen Seckinger's feature "Sandy Footprints—Eleanor (Sandy) Torrey West," Sandy's determination ensured that Ossabaw would never be developed, never bridged, never silenced. She opened her home to scientists, writers, and dreamers through her Ossabaw Island and Genesis Projects—believing that the island's magic could awaken creativity and conscience alike. "I didn't mind what anyone did on the island," she was quoted saying. "I was hopeful for what it would do to them."

Island History

Originally published in Reflections Vol.11, No.2

Buddy Sullivan's "Ossabaw Island" reminded us that long before Sandy and Roger, Ossabaw's story was one of survival and reinvention. From Native Americans who built shell mounds thousands of years ago, to planters who grew Sea Island cotton, to freedmen who later founded the community of Pin Point—the island has held every era of Georgia's coastal story in its soil. Its 1920s transformation under Dr. Henry Torrey and Nell Ford Torrey brought elegance and endurance, blending Detroit industry with Spanish revival design. Yet through every century, the island has resisted domestication—its tides washing away each generation's attempt to tame it.

Keeping an Island

Originally published in Reflections Vol.13, No.5

In April Trepagnier's "Keeping an Island." we witnessed the inevitable—Sandy West's reluctant departure in 2016 at age 103. Roger Parker, her steadfast friend, coaxed her from the dock only after her defiant refusal: "If y'all wanna go to Savannah, y'all can go ahead and go. I'm not leaving." It was a moment that captured everything she was—fierce, funny, faithful to the land she loved. Though her body left Ossabaw, her spirit never did. Today, the Ossabaw Island Foundation stands as a testament to both her vision and her humanity—a reminder that saving a place is not an act of ownership, but of surrender.

The Spirit of Ossabaw

Originally published in Reflections Vol.17, No.1

On January 17, 2021 the lights on Ossabaw seemed to dim: Eleanor "Sandy" Torrey West passed at age 108. Victor R. Pisano's tribute frames her as matriarch and icon—raised among the pink-stucco halls her parents built in the 1920s, trading Detroit winters for a Spanish-revival hacienda and a life shaped by tides, guests, and the occasional prank. Sandy's circle included neighbors like Henry and Clara Ford; her adulthood, with filmmaker Clifford West, birthed the interdisciplinary Ossabaw Island Project that welcomed artists, scientists, and seekers to create and be changed.

When the family could no longer shoulder the rising costs to maintain the island, Sandy engineered the island's transfer to Georgia with strict conservation terms and a life estate—cementing Ossabaw as the state's first Heritage Preserve and ensuring no bridge, no development, and no dilution of its wild spirit. Pisano leaves us with Sandy's wry promise: "After I'm gone, if you want to find me, just peek behind any tree."

Rehabilitating Grandeur

Originally published in Reflections Vol.19, No.2

The Next 100 Years

In 2024, Joy Dunigan shared what the future holds for Ossabaw Island and The Torrey-West Mansion. The 20,000-square-foot structure designed a century ago by renowned Savannah architect Henrik Wallin, stands as a powerful symbol of Ossabaw Island's rich history and Eleanor "Sandy" Torrey West's enduring legacy. For decades, this Spanish-style home has captured the imagination of visitors—from the artists and scholars who participated in the Ossabaw Island Project and Genesis Project to the many guests of The Ossabaw Island Foundation (TOIF), all united by a shared reverence for Sandy's mission.

Now, the mansion and its neighboring structures—the Little Torrey House and the garage—collectively form the Torrey-West Campus, are undergoing a historic rehabilitation that will ensure its preservation for generations to come. In May 2024, Governor Brian Kemp signed a budget including full funding for the project, marking a long-awaited milestone for the Foundation and the state.

"The magic of Ossabaw," says Dunigan, "lies not only in its landscape but in its lasting influence. People are always amazed at how close it is—right here in our own backyard—and how profoundly it changes them once they step ashore."

That magic may take center stage sooner rather than later, as the rehabilitation of the Torrey-West Mansion has progressed at an impressive pace. Once a century-old structure with all the subtle challenges time bestows, it now radiates extraordinary progress: floors cleaned, windows fixed, interiors painted anew, and ironwork meticulously repaired and in some instances recreated. Each detail, each careful touch, seems to awaken the mansion's spirit, as if the house itself is exhaling, ready to offer its creative energy to all who pass through its doors—familiar yet renewed, full of the same magic that has long defined Ossabaw Island, now shimmering with invigorated vitality.

Modern upgrades and conveniences including all-new plumbing, wiring, and central heating and air, have been seamlessly integrated, ensuring comfort and functionality while preserving the home's historic character. As the only entity able to provide public access to the island, TOIF is excited to expand its programming, sharing the island's rich history, landscape, and culture with more visitors than ever before.

A full update on the project will take place at Ossabaw Night, January 22, 2026 at the Armstrong Center in Savannah, GA at 6p.m.—Torrey Home Turns 100: Rehabilitating a 'Southern Palace' on Ossabaw Island, Georgia.

Also in celebration of the rehabilitation, a beautiful art exhibition will take place in the Spring of 2026 at the Telfair Museums Jepson Center for the Arts, entitled Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961 until Now, honoring the artists and creative projects inspired by the island over the decades.

Each exhibition, like the restoration itself, echoes Sandy's words: "This is what the real world looks like."

Enduring Magic

Together, these stories form a chorus—one part history, one part heart. Through the cowboy who tamed its wildness, the historian who recorded its legacy, the writer who documented its struggles, and the woman who gave it back to time itself, Ossabaw remains exactly as Sandy West dreamed it: "rare, but real."

As the Torrey-West Campus prepares to rise anew, we are reminded that the preservation of place is never complete—it is a continuum of care. The island still speaks, and soon, its voice will echo once more through restored halls and living marsh.