Jekyll Island (MM 685)...

March 31, 2023

Our travel from Fernandina to Jekyll Island allowed us to travel past Cumberland and Little Cumberland Island. Also got to see the Little Cumberland Island Lighthouse, which without the boat, I would never have been able to enjoy. The island is privately owned and has been left with 90% wilderness. The interesting point about this lighthouse which operated starting in 1838 was the fact it had a fixed light. During the Civil War the fresnel lens and light were removed and never found. It was operational again in 1867 until 1915.

I would have to say to me, we have not been anywhere yet with the natural beauty of Jekyll Island. Relatively speaking, it is not developed to the extent I expected. Once we got tied up and settled, we found out we could use a golf cart for 90 minutes. We essentially used this to circumvent the perimeter of the island. Some of the further areas away from the marina like Driftwood Beach and the Horton House, we got out and walked around to enjoy the area prior to going back to the marina. Luckily, there was a great restaurant at the marina, Zachary's, which was excellent. We ended up there twice.

While on Driftwood Beach, we wee able to see the lighthouse at St Simon's Island. The driftwood all over the island had many sizes and shapes which were amazing. The Horton House was built by William Horton who was James Oglethorpe's next in command. The house built of tabby is still standing structurally. General Oglethorpe named Georgia after King George in Britain in 1733 and Jekyll Island for the man who was a financier to his voyage to the New World. Interestingly, Horton grew malted barley and hops and cooked them in a copper pot to produce beer on Jekyll Island.

The history of Jekyll Island shows the same Indian groups as Fernandina back to 2500 BC. The Spanish were here in the late 1500's and named it- Island of Whales. Christophe Du Bignon, a French nobleman, left France to escape the French Revolution, purchased Jekyll Island in 1791. The family took over the Horton's house and added 2 wooden wings to the house. Sea Island cotton was grown here with the labor of 80 slaves under the Du Bignon family. The family kept ownership until 1886 when David Du Bignon sold the island to 56 families, all members of the Union Club in New York City. These 56 millionaires formed the Jekyll Island Club. In order to be part of the club, you had to buy 2 shares at $600 and be voted in on 2 separate ballots by majority. Memberships were kept to 100 total each year. When the initial club was built, more room was needed and some members chose to build homes. The docent said these "small" cottages were 8,000-13,000 square feet used January through March. Another building named, San Souci, which means "no worries" in French was built and is said to be the first condos in the US. There was a game warden whose job it was to make sure the island was stocked with wildlife. Those animals when hunted and killed were prepared for dinner that evening. Dinners would start at 8pm last for 3 hours and there were 10 courses. Danny looked at me and said he would be in trouble! Because everyone took their meals in the ballroom, none of the homes had kitchens. One of the home we went into on the tour, The Mistletoe Cottage, did have a "plating" and "warming" kitchen as Mrs Potter had lawn parties during the season at her home. The negative impact of the federal income tax in 1913, the Depression, World War II(which led to decreased labor force), and 2 ships hit by U2 boats off the coast led to a drop in membership from 100 to 10 members. In 1947, the state of Georgia billed the club for 500,000 dollars in back taxes with a letter stating it was taking over the island, and sending a check for 175,000 after the tax bill was settled(ie 675k for the island) for the 10 members. One of the fun facts that occurred on Jekyll Island was in January, 1915 the first phone call was made between the east and west coast with 4 people on the line including President Woodrow Wilson, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Watson, and the President of AT&T(he was on Jekyll Island). In reality, this coast to coast call was made about 6 months before but this is the "official" date to celebrate the Panama Pacific International Exposition.

Danny and I went to Faith Chapel within the historic area. This chapel was built in 1904 and was cedar. It was simple and beautiful. There were 2 stained glass windows. One by Tiffany which was out for conservation and another one by David Maitland Armstrong and his daughter Helen. The docent said their work was held in the same quality as Tiffany and La Farge. It was beautiful.

We biked throughout the island and after seeing the historic area we went to the ocean side where most the places to eat and stores, although minimal, are located. The beach has dunes and they have walk overs so as not to disturb them. Our last day allowed us to see not 1 but 2 alligators. We never saw one in Florida, amazingly.

The last beach, St Andrews Beach has 2 historically significant events. When Georgia was founded in 1733, English Law prohibited slavery. By 1751, slaves were allowed in Georgia. In 1807, the US government made it illegal to import enslaved Africans into the US. There was a Savannah businessman, Charles Lamar, who purchased a luxury yacht that he would convert into a slave ship in 1858 named Wanderer. The ship left from the west coast of Africa with 490 people and arrived in Jekyll Island with 409 survivors. These people were fed and clothed here, then auctioned to plantation owners throughout the south. The captain and others operating the boat were arrested due to the illegal activity. While the posts in the museum did not give details, all those charged were found not guilty amazingly. This same beach area is where in the late 1960's, blacks were allowed to go to the beach.