02/14/2026
❤️In December 1892, St. Simons Island shopkeeper Robert Colin Smith was in love. He had met the object of his affection, Kate Milikin, that summer, when she visited her family’s island cottage. Kate was an annual visitor, but Robert was a resident. When the summer ended, Kate’s family returned home to Wayne County, and Kate began work as a schoolteacher in Atkinson, a town around forty miles from the island and from Robert.
The letters that Robert wrote to Kate before their marriage in April 1893 showcase just how much he missed her. He addressed this letter to “my dear sweet little Katrina.” While he enjoyed her letters, he wrote that he would “rather see [her, even] if it was only for five minutes” than receive a hundred-page message. These letters also reveal how deeply Robert loved St. Simons and the community around Ocean Pier. In his dispatches to Kate, he recalls walks along the beach, preparations for an island Christmas parade, and voyages on his sailboat (named, with obvious inspiration, Kate).
In his December letter, Robert recounted a visit to the Keeper’s Dwelling at the St. Simons Lighthouse, where he dined with the keepers, Mr. and Mrs. Peckham, and another young guest, Barney Postell. 💌
