The Gilded Age in the Golden Isles of Georgia

Wild and beautiful Jekyll Island was home to an exclusive hunting club of Gilded Age magnates in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  The island itself remains a relatively unspoiled paradise, offering glimpses into history, encounters with wildlife and tranquil beaches for relaxing.

The island is run by the state-created Jekyll Island Authority and charges a $6 daily fee for visitor vehicles to park on the island.  The island is not very large and most of the major sites can be visited in the span of a day.

Jekyll Island was first inhabited by Guale Indians and later explored and claimed alternatively by the Spanish, French and English.  James Oglethorpe, founder of the Georgia colony, established an outpost on the island and named it after his friend, Sir Joseph Jekyll.   He requested William Horton to establish a plantation on the island to raise provisions for Fort Frederica on nearby St. Simons Island.  The remnants of Horton's house, constructed of tabby, a concrete-like substance made from oyster shells, still stand today.

In 1794, the Du Bignon family, emigres from France during the radical phase of the French Revolution, purchased Jekyll Island.  The Du Bignons ran a cotton plantation and participated in the last (illegal) shipment of slaves from Africa to the United States when the "Wanderer" arrived with over 400 slaves from the Congo River.  The incident caused outrage in the North and a federal investigation, but resulted in no conviction of the guilty parties.  After the Civil War, John Eugene DuBignon purchased the shares of the island from his family members and decided to promote the island as a hunting club to his business contacts in New York City who included J.P. Morgan, William K. Vanderbilt and Joseph Pulitzer.  Ultimately, he sold the island to the Jekyll Island Club Corporation in 1886.         

I decided to visit the Jekyll Island Historic District, which contains several structures dating back to the days of the Jekyll Island Club.  Prominent Gilded Age families such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Morgans and Pulitzers built cottages on the island and enjoyed hunting, polo and other outdoor activities to escape the winter in the North.

The Jekyll Island Museum offers a 90-minute guided tour on a trolley, which includes visits inside two cottages for $16 and an self-guided E-Guide for $8.  I opted for the guided tour, because I wanted to be able to see inside some of the cottages.

 
The grounds of the former Jekyll Island Club are stunningly beautiful and well-manicured.  Live oaks draped in Spanish moss stretch their tangled arms above lush grassy fields.

The "cottages" of the Jekyll Island Club are essentially mansions of considerable size.  The ones we were able to see on the tour were remarkably well preserved.

The tour was highly informative and well worth the cost.  The tour also mentions two famous "firsts" that occurred on the island as well: the first transcontinental telephone call and the establishment of the Federal Reserve system.  Ultimately, the Second World War resulted in the closure of the club and the buildings ended up falling into disrepair until the state of Georgia purchased the island in the 1950s and began a process of preservation and restoration.  By law, 65% percent of the island must remain in a natural state.

After the tour, I decided to experience the beaches of the island, including the stunning and haunting Driftwood Beach, located on the north portion of the island.  There are lots of jagged branches, horseshoe crabs and jellyfish in the sand, so you will want to be careful walking around.  However, walking through the piles of driftwood on a relatively deserted beach is a relaxing and moving experience.