Jekyll Island, Georgia

Dear Family and Friends,

After we left St. Augustine, FL, we drove north to Georgia.  Our next point of interest was Jekyll Island.  

I was born and raised in Georgia.  I was about as far away from Jekyll Island as I could be and still be in the same state.  Columbus, where I was born and raised is right on the Chattahoochee river, which forms the western state boundary.  All this information to say that I had never been to this island before.  

This island has a very interesting history.  The part we visited was the remains of the post civil war "Club Era."  We toured this area in a little holiday decorated tram.

In 1886, the island was purchased by investors who wanted to use this land as a hunting club for some of the nation's richest folks.  They formed the Jekyll Island Club, which was the most exclusive, the most inaccessible club in the world. Families with names like Rockefeller, Morgan, Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, and Baker build the elegant Clubhouse and "cottages."

This is the clubhouse, built in Victorian architectural style.  In the very beginning the clubhouse housed the guests, who came for the "season."  The island was stocked with game for their hunting pleasure. The season was January and February.  

However, shortly after the clubhouse was built, many members started building "cottages" of their own nearby.  

The following pictures are of some of the "cottages" built over a couple of decades.  Notice I put the word "cottages" in quotes.  These folks only spent 2 or 3 months out of each year here, the other 9 or 10 months these huge homes remained empty.  

We were able to tour inside a furnished home.  Below are pictures taken inside the blue house pictured above.

This is the family area.  Separate from the more formal parlor.

Here are a couple of the many bedrooms.

Below is the inside, hot running water bathroom.  This was about 1900 mind you.

Beautiful stained glass windows.

And this is the nursery.

The one room that these cottages were built without, was a kitchen.  The families gathered at the clubhouse to have meals in the dining room.

Today, the old club house is a hotel.  It has been expanded to accommodate many guests.

We were fortunate enough to see inside the first floor of the original clubhouse.

As you go up the front stairs to the porch, it looks like you are at Cracker Barrel.

If you sit down, here is the view from the front porch.

This is inside the multi-rooms parlor.

Below is the hotel dining room.  The same dining room that more than 100 years ago, the elite folks gathered to have their meals.

Here are some interesting things I learned about what happened here during this era of Jekyll Island history.

In 1910, a party of financial leaders (including, most likely, many of the elite club members) met here to create the forerunner of the Federal Reserve, today's banking system in the U.S.

In 1915 the first transcontinental telephone call was made in the United States.  Presiding over the ceremonies by telephone were President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, DC, Alexander Graham Bell in New York, Thomas Watson in San Francisco, Henry Higginson in Boston, and AT&T President Theodore Newton Vail on Jekyll Island, GA.

In the 1920s hunting gave way to golfing when the first golf course was built on the island.

The "club era" of Jekyll Island flourished until World War II.  After the U.S. went to war, it was difficult for the elite to hire staff on the island as the former staff members were off fighting for their country. The numbers of families that came to Jekyll Island dwindled to just a few.  The grounds and club house  were neglected and during this time back taxes to the state of Georgia were mounting.

In 1947 the Georgia purchased Jekyll Island from the Jekyll Island Club through condemnation proceedings for $675,000.

In 1948 Jekyll Island opened to the public as a state park.

I really enjoyed seeing how the upper elite lived on this island at the turn of the 20th century.  I am so glad the state of Georgia bought this island, refurbished the former club owned property and has made it available for the public to enjoy.  

Christmas day is very close.  Chuck and I wish you a happy and loving holiday with your family and friends.  

Where our kids live, Minnesota and Washington State, the weather is predicted to be awful, as is much of the country.  Please take care, postpone festivities if need be, stay safe and know that we love you.

Merry Christmas,

Nancy & Chuck