Welcome to the Savannah Sideways Podcast - Season One - The Strange Story of Savannah's Ancient Roman Statuary.

EPISODE 4 – Ossabaw Coincidences & Connections: In this fourth episode, host Jessica Leigh Lebos follows the Torrey family’s journey from the ashes of their Greenwich mansion to the wild beauty of Ossabaw Island, uncovering how loss, legacy, and a touch of magic intertwined to shape one of Georgia’s most fascinating conservation stories.

Meet Eleanor “Sandy” Torrey West, the indomitable woman who turned her family’s Gilded Age retreat into a crucible for art, science, and spiritual exploration. From the ruins of Greenwich Place to the pink stucco mansion on Ossabaw, Sandy’s life bridges eras—where ancient myths meet modern activism and coincidence feels more like cosmic choreography.

Through conversations with Elizabeth DuBose of the Ossabaw Island Foundation and a deeply personal story of discovery, Jessica traces how statues, stories, and serendipity connect Savannah’s past to its present. Along the way, we meet a cast of visionaries—artists, philosophers, conservationists—and a woman whose 108 years embodied the spirit of the island she fought to save.

This episode is about more than marble and memory. It’s about meaning: how we follow signs, find purpose in patterns, and keep listening for the gods—Hermes included—who travel beside us.

SHOW LINKS:

Meet Jessica Leigh Lebos

Check out Savannah Sideways Substack

Check out Jessica's books

Meet the Producers: Dee Daniels Media

THANKS TO THOSE WHO MADE THIS SHOW POSSIBLE:

Dr. Erika Morrow and the team at ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear

Bubba Gumbo's Tybee Island

Tybee Island Marina

BG’s Seafood Co-Op

Bonaventure Don

The 5 Spot

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Shot By Somi

SIXBY

Lone Wolf Lounge

Over Yonder

Celebritees

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Introduction: Ossabaw Coincidences and Connections

00:13 The Torrey Family's New Beginning on Ossabaw Island

00:37 The Rich History of Georgia's Barrier Islands

01:26 Ossabaw Island Through the Ages

03:18 The Torrey Family Legacy and the Pink Mansion

05:49 Sandy West: The Woman Who Saved Ossabaw

08:55 The Ossabaw Island Project and Genesis Project

10:02 The Fight to Preserve Ossabaw Island

12:38 Sandy West's Final Years and Legacy

16:15 The Author's Personal Journey and Connection to the Story

22:25 The Auction and the Photograph

28:10 Conclusion: The Strange Story of Savannah's Ancient Roman Statuary