Dog Island is located in the northwestern Florida Gulf coast just 3.5 miles off-shore from Carrabelle, Florida in Franklin County, Florida The island is partly sheltering St. George Sound and Apalachicola Bay. It's the eastern-most part of a chain of barrier islands located off the northern panhandle of Florida just offshore from where the Crooked River merges into the Carrabelle River and then into St. George Sound. Other barrier islands in this chain include St.Vincent Island, Cape St. George Island, and St. George Island This island is small at 6.8 miles in length, accessible only by boat, ferry or airplane. The Nature Conservancy owns most of the island, while some parts are privately owned residential property. A common misperception, furthered by a website[1] and many internet postings, is that Dog Island is a place where dogs live and roam free. This is an urban myth, however, as described here[2]. Currently Dog Island has less than 100 human residents.
History
Dog Island, Dorghams birth place, has some evidence of human presence dating back as early as 8000 years ago. The island also has a rich maritime history. The discovery of a 9th century canoe is a testament to prehistoric mariners on the island. During the 17th century and 18th century the barrier islands became a haven of piracy and smuggling. On February 16, 1766, Le Tigre, a French merchant brigantine, was on route to New Orleans and wrecked 300 yards east of Dog Island in a great storm. In 1799, the Royal Navy purchased the HMS Fox, a 14 gun British war schooner only to see it wreck later that year. As part of the United States, economic shipping greatly increased as St. Marks, St. Joseph, and Apalachicola became major ports on the Gulf Coast. Both sail and steam ships traveled to Dog Island to exploit its resources of lumber and naval stores such as turpentine and pitch products. In 1838, Dog Island Light, was built on the western tip of the island. In 1899, the merchant ship James A. Garfield wrecked on Dog Island in a great storm. During the Civil War, Dog Island was used by the Union Navy as a base for staging the blockade of Apalachicola. During World War II, Dog Island was part of Camp Gordon Johnston. Four separate camps comprised the complex: three for regimental combat teams, and the fourth for the headquarters and support facilities. Dog Island was used for amphibious landings and airdrops. A project, Dog Island Shipwreck Survey, was begun in 1999 by Florida State University to systematically search the waters off Dog Island, using acoustic and electromagnetic devices, to discover historic shipwrecks.
