Coastal Georgia - Sea Islands & Savannah

[giradman]

Susan & I just returned from a 6-night trip to the Georgia Coast - 4 nights on Jekyll Island and the last 2 nights in Savannah - see the initial maps below - pretty much a straight north-south route and about a 6-hr drive (little over 400 miles) vs. a 5-hr drive back from Savannah. The Georgia coast is just 100 miles or so in length w/ Brunswick being the historic mainland town. The main sea islands (also known as the Golden Isles) are St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Sea Island, and Jekyll Island - there are only 4 barrier islands in Georgia that have causeway access, i.e. three of the four just mentioned (Little St. Simons by boat only) and Tybee Island near Savannah - several more pics of the islands including a satellite view.

Jekyll Island is the southern most of the Sea Islands and along w/ St. Simons Island has a long history, some of which I'll cover and illustrate in future posts - quoted below the introduction from the link above (much more in the Wiki article). We stayed at the new Westin Hotel (just celebrated its first year anniversary) - loved the architecture and the decor (part of the lobby shown below). We opted for an oceanfront room and were on the 4th floor - a couple of my pics from the room's balcony; the landscaping is beautiful w/ plenty of varied flora, including a number of different types of palm trees; the shallow dunes line the long pristine beaches; well paved pathways (for bikes & pedestrians) pretty much encircle the entire island.

More to follow - Dave

Jekyll Island is an island off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia, in Glynn County; it is one of the Sea Islands and one of the Golden Isles of Georgia. The city of Brunswick, Georgia, the Marshes of Glynn, and several other islands, including the larger St. Simons Island, are nearby. Its beaches are frequented by vacationers and guided tours of the Landmark Historic District are available. Bike trails, walks along the beaches and sandbars, and Summer Waves, a water park are a few of the many things vacationers can do. The historic district consists of a number of buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The island is also full of wildlife, consisting of many different mammals, reptiles, and birds living and breeding in the island's inland marshes.

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[scifan57]

Susan & I just returned from a 6-night trip to the Georgia Coast - 4 nights on Jekyll Island and the last 2 nights in Savannah - see the initial maps below - pretty much a straight north-south route and about a 6-hr drive (little over 400 miles) vs. a 5-hr drive back from Savannah. The Georgia coast is just 100 miles or so in length w/ Brunswick being the historic mainland town. The main sea islands (also known as the Golden Isles) are St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Sea Island, and Jekyll Island - there are only 4 barrier islands in Georgia that have causeway access, i.e. three of the four just mentioned (Little St. Simons by boat only) and Tybee Island near Savannah - several more pics of the islands including a satellite view.

Jekyll Island is the southern most of the Sea Islands and along w/ St. Simons Island has a long history, some of which I'll cover and illustrate in future posts - quoted below the introduction from the link above (much more in the Wiki article). We stayed at the new Westin Hotel (just celebrated its first year anniversary) - loved the architecture and the decor (part of the lobby shown below). We opted for an oceanfront room and were on the 4th floor - a couple of my pics from the room's balcony; the landscaping is beautiful w/ plenty of varied flora, including a number of different types of palm trees; the shallow dunes line the long pristine beaches; well paved pathways (for bikes & pedestrians) pretty much encircle the entire island.

More to follow - Dave


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It looks like you had a wonderful time, I'll be awaiting the follow-up posts.

 

[giradman]

It looks like you had a wonderful time, I'll be awaiting the follow-up posts.

We've stayed on Sea Island several times (at the Cloister which has become VERY pricey), but our first visit to Jekyll Island and an eye-opener regarding the history of the island, as some upcoming posts will clarify. Dave

 

[giradman]

Jekyll Island - Historic District & Club Hotel - Introduction!

Jekyll Island is not large, about 7+ miles in length & 1.5+ miles across - the east side is along the Atlantic Ocean, while much of the other side is tidal marshland w/ miles of beaches in both locations. The first map below (turned about 90 degrees) shows the location of lodgings, restaurants, walking/bike trails, and other attractions - I've labeled the location of the Westin Hotel and also circled several areas of future interest - the most important being the historic district shown by the second map (next post).

Within the historic district is the Jekyll Island Club Hotel which consists of an older section w/ the turret, plus additions and also some other buildings on the premises that can also be rented. This hotel was a consideration for us, but we choose the more modern and much smaller Westin property, which offers free shuttles to any location on the island. At the Jekyll Island Museum (small but a good introduction), tram tours and/or horse carriage rides tour the historic area w/ a well done narration.

The historic wharf is shown in some of the last images - several restaurants are located there and dolphin boat tours can be taken (a future post) - since this coastal area is tidal marsh land, considerable rises & fall in tide occur which average about 8 ft - my pics below show the wharf in low tide - I was able to also snap an image of a blue heron. Next post will be about the historic district - Dave
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[scifan57]

Wonderful scenery! Thanks for showing us this part of Georgia.

 

[giradman]

Wonderful scenery! Thanks for showing us this part of Georgia.

If you love live oaks w/ plenty of Spanish moss, then coastal Georgia is the place to come - we saw dozens and dozens of these trees w/ many being hundreds of years old. Dave

 

[twerppoet]

If you love live oaks w/ plenty of Spanish moss, then coastal Georgia is the place to come - we saw dozens and dozens of these trees w/ many being hundreds of years old. Dave

This reminded me of one of my altime favorite poems.

Sunrise

By Sidney Lanier

IN my sleep I was fain of their fellowship, fain
Of the live-oak, the marsh, and the main.
The little green leaves would not let me alone in my sleep;
Up-breathed from the marshes, a message of range and of sweep,
Interwoven with waftures of wild sea-liberties, drifting,
Came through the lapped leaves sifting, sifting,
Came to the gates of sleep. . .
825. Sunrise by Sidney Lanier. Stedman, Edmund Clarence, ed. 1900. An American Anthology, 1787-1900

 

[giradman]

This reminded me of one of my altime favorite poems.

Hi TP - his name was about to come up - Georgian born Sidney Lanier (first quote his beginning Wiki bio) - the longest cabled bridge in Georgia crosses over to Brunswick (second quote), which is the county seat of Glynn County - sites in the area the inspiration for his famous poem Marshes of Glynn - a couple of pics below of the beautiful bridge named in his honor (others will come up in further posts). Dave

Sidney Clopton Lanier (1842 – 1881) was an American musician, poet and author. He served in the Confederate army, worked on a blockade running ship for which he was imprisoned (resulting in his catching tuberculosis), taught, worked at a hotel where he gave musical performances, was a church organist, and worked as a lawyer. As a poet he used dialects. He became a flautist and sold poems to publications. He eventually became a university professor and is known for his adaptation of musical meter to poetry. Many schools, other structures and two lakes are named for him (Wiki Source).

The Sidney Lanier Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Brunswick River in Brunswick, Georgia, carrying four lanes of U.S. Route 17. The current bridge was built as a replacement to the original vertical-lift bridge, which was twice struck by ships. It is currently the longest-spanning bridge in Georgia and is 480 feet (150 m) tall. It is also the seventy-sixth largest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It was named for poet Sidney Lanier. Each year (usually in February), there is the "Bridge Run" sponsored by Southeast Georgia Health System when the south side of the bridge is closed to traffic and people register to run (or walk) the bridge (Wiki Source).

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[giradman]

Jekyll Island Club - 1880s-1942 - Unique History on a Georgia Barrier Island!

The Historic District includes the hotel and other numerous buildings, many of the larger ones described as 'cottages' - in the mid-1880s, a 'private club' was established on Jekyll Island which included many of the wealthiest families of the times, i.e. the 'millionaires' then (now would be the billionaires) - see quote (Wiki link at the end - take a look for details); just immediately below in bold a list of just a handful of the more famous members of this selective club - many had so-called 'cottages' on the island or shared larger buildings (like Sans Souci shown below) - pics show some of these 'winter homes' (January-March was the season).

The images show a number of these buildings, several of which we visited on our tram tour - these really are small mansions despite their limited use for a few months of the year - the historic district is under constant restoration - a number of the structures have been converted to shops. Sans Souci was owned by JP Morgan & William Rockefeller (split in half) - now a number of rental options - a pic of the inside of one; also, near the hotel is Faith Chapel, a popular choice for weddings - often pictures of the newly weds are taken beneath the oldest live oak on the island.

Many famous historic events occurred on Jekyll Island, in part related to the presence of these 'rich occupants' - one example is that the first transatlantic phone call was made here - also, these 'billionaires' of their times had LARGE yachts which landed in the river with the passengers shuttled to the wharf shown previously - just some remaining images of one of the largest 'boats' the Corsair IV belonging to the Morgans - BOY, I'd loved to have been there - enjoy. Dave

Crane, Richard (pipes, plumbing, and more)
Field, Marshall (founder of department stores)
Gould, Edwin & George (sons of Jay Gould)
McCormick Jr, Cyrus (son of the reaper inventor)
Morgan, JP (financier who createdUS Steel Corp.)
Pulitzer, Joseph (journalist & namesake of the prize)
Rockefeller, William (co-founder Standard Oil)
Vanderbilt, Cornelius (shipping & railroads)

The Jekyll Island Club was a private club on Jekyll Island, on Georgia's Atlantic coast. It was founded in 1886 when members of an incorporated hunting and recreational club purchased the island for $125,000 from John Eugene du Bignon. The original design of the Jekyll Island Clubhouse, with its signature turret, was completed in January 1888. The club thrived through the early 20th century; its members came from many of the world's wealthiest families, most notably the Morgans, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts. The club closed at the end of the 1942 season due to complications from World War II. In 1947, after five years of funding a staff to keep up the lawn and cottages, the island was purchased from the club's remaining members for $675,000 during condemnation proceedings by the state of Georgia (Source).

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[scifan57]

Jekyll Island Club - 1880s-1942 - Unique History on a Georgia Barrier Island!

The Historic District includes the hotel and other numerous buildings, many of the larger ones described as 'cottages' - in the mid-1880s, a 'private club' was established on Jekyll Island which included many of the wealthiest families of the times, i.e. the 'millionaires' then (now would be the billionaires) - see quote (Wiki link at the end - take a look for details); just immediately below in bold a list of just a handful of the more famous members of this selective club - many had so-called 'cottages' on the island or shared larger buildings (like Sans Souci shown below) - pics show some of these 'winter homes' (January-March was the season).

The images show a number of these buildings, several of which we visited on our tram tour - these really are small mansions despite their limited use for a few months of the year - the historic district is under constant restoration - a number of the structures have been converted to shops. Sans Souci was owned by JP Morgan & William Rockefeller (split in half) - now a number of rental options - a pic of the inside of one; also, near the hotel is Faith Chapel, a popular choice for weddings - often pictures of the newly weds are taken beneath the oldest live oak on the island.

Many famous historic events occurred on Jekyll Island, in part related to the presence of these 'rich occupants' - one example is that the first transatlantic phone call was made here - also, these 'billionaires' of their times had LARGE yachts which landed in the river with the passengers shuttled to the wharf shown previously - just some remaining images of one of the largest 'boats' the Corsair IV belonging to the Morgans - BOY, I'd loved to have been there - enjoy. Dave

Crane, Richard (pipes, plumbing, and more)
Field, Marshall (founder of department stores)
Gould, Edwin & George (sons of Jay Gould)
McCormick Jr, Cyrus (son of the reaper inventor)
Morgan, JP (financier who createdUS Steel Corp.)
Pulitzer, Joseph (journalist & namesake of the prize)
Rockefeller, William (co-founder Standard Oil)
Vanderbilt, Cornelius (shipping & railroads)


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Do any of the original families still own any of the cottages on the island?

 

[giradman]

Do any of the original families still own any of the cottages on the island?

Hi SciFan.. - thanks for your continual support of my travelogues -

Not sure that I can answer your question except to say likely not - quote below from the end of this Wiki Article - at present about two-thirds of the island will be maintained in its 'natural state' - the rest seems to be a combination of commercial and private endeavors, i.e. some homes and other businesses - not sure their relationship to the state of Georgia? Entry to the island includes a fee ($6 per day or $28 for a nearly week pass) which allows access to the wonderful beaches, either on the ocean or marsh sides. SO, basically the 'millionaires' of the past likely have no stake in present day Jekyll Island - now if some 'local' member of the forum responds to this thread w/ different information, then I'll be glad to hear more! Dave

Initially, Jekyll Island was part of the State Park system. However, by 1950, as costs associated with getting the island ready for visitation began to mount, the island was taken out of the state park system and organized into a separate authority in order to become self-sustaining.

The Jekyll Island Authority was created in February 1950 under the direction of Governor Herman Talmadge, and was designed to be a governing board. This board consisted of nine gubernatorial appointed members and was charged with the operation and care of the island.

The authority placed a convict camp on the island in 1951, and the prisoners readied the island for public use, executing landscaping for drainage and for the foundations of motels and neighborhoods and building the perimeter road. From September 1951 to December 1954, the island was primarily closed to the public. Upon completion of the six-year causeway project and drawbridge erection on December 11, 1954, Jekyll Island officially re-opened to the public.

Because the post-WWII plan for Jekyll was for the island to become self-sufficient, and because the Authority was receiving negative publicity in the mid-1950s, the Georgia Legislature restructured the Authority in 1957. Board members became elected officials and included the attorney general, state auditor, public service commissioner, state parks department director, and secretary of state.

In the decade following this restructuring motels, houses, the convention center, and a shopping center were constructed, as well as the towers at the entrance to the causeway. In the 1970s the Authority began renovating the cottages and club hotel in the historic district, and the 1980s saw construction of bike paths and the re-opening of the clubhouse in December 1987. Two more reorganizations of the Authority in the 1970s and 1980s changed the board to consist of the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and eight citizens of the state.[10]

Some of the later advancements made by the Jekyll Island Authority include the Soccer Complex, the Jekyll Island Tennis Center, a Historic District registered with National Historic Landmark Status in 1978, Jekyll Island 4-H Center opened in 1983 to connect children to the island's ecosystem and most recently, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.[11]

In 2006, plans to revitalize the island were put into place after years of significantly declining visitation numbers. In 2007 the Jekyll Island Authority selected Linger Longer Communities LLC to be its private partner in redeveloping a portion of the Island. After a year of planning and hosting public forums throughout the state of Georgia, the Authority and Linger Longer developed a revitalization plan that included a renovated Convention Center and mixed-use public Beach Village to occupy a very similar footprint to that of the current Convention Center, beach deck, and adjacent asphalt parking lot. The Beach Village is also set to include an area for new retail shops as well as a public beach-side promenade.

A once-per-day toll has been charged for several decades to enter Jekyll Island. The rate was $1 in 1985, but has increased since then and became $5 in August 2009, and later to $6.[12]

By legislative mandate, sixty-five percent of the island is and will remain in a mostly natural state (including parks and picnic areas).[1]

 

[scifan57]

Hi SciFan.. - thanks for your continual support of my travelogues -

Not sure that I can answer your question except to say likely not - quote below from the end of this Wiki Article - at present about two-thirds of the island will be maintained in its 'natural state' - the rest seems to be a combination of commercial and private endeavors, i.e. some homes and other businesses - not sure their relationship to the state of Georgia? Entry to the island includes a fee ($6 per day or $28 for a nearly week pass) which allows access to the wonderful beaches, either on the ocean or marsh sides. SO, basically the 'millionaires' of the past likely have no stake in present day Jekyll Island - now if some 'local' member of the forum responds to this thread w/ different information, then I'll be glad to hear more! Dave

Thanks for the extra information.

 

[giradman]

Now, I'm getting some 'looks' at this thread - for those members from the area - please respond - correct my mistakes or add some additional comments, including recommendations for other activities, places to stay, or even favorite restaurants (I've not even mentioned food yet - YIKES!) - all may just help others who plan to visit - thanks. Dave

 

[suenc]

Susan & I just returned from a 6-night trip to the Georgia Coast - 4 nights on Jekyll Island and the last 2 nights in Savannah - see the initial maps below - pretty much a straight north-south route and about a 6-hr drive (little over 400 miles) vs. a 5-hr drive back from Savannah. The Georgia coast is just 100 miles or so in length w/ Brunswick being the historic mainland town. The main sea islands (also known as the Golden Isles) are St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Sea Island, and Jekyll Island - there are only 4 barrier islands in Georgia that have causeway access, i.e. three of the four just mentioned (Little St. Simons by boat only) and Tybee Island near Savannah - several more pics of the islands including a satellite view.

Jekyll Island is the southern most of the Sea Islands and along w/ St. Simons Island has a long history, some of which I'll cover and illustrate in future posts - quoted below the introduction from the link above (much more in the Wiki article). We stayed at the new Westin Hotel (just celebrated its first year anniversary) - loved the architecture and the decor (part of the lobby shown below). We opted for an oceanfront room and were on the 4th floor - a couple of my pics from the room's balcony; the landscaping is beautiful w/ plenty of varied flora, including a number of different types of palm trees; the shallow dunes line the long pristine beaches; well paved pathways (for bikes & pedestrians) pretty much encircle the entire island.

More to follow - Dave


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Lovely island--the ocean is nature's tranquilizer.Enjoyed the brand-new Westin

 

[giradman]

Georgia & Jekyll Island - Establishment and Early History

In the latter 17th & early 18th centuries, the English in the Carolina colonies, the Spanish in St. Augustine, Florida, and the French in Louisiana were all interested in the coastal area between South Carolina and northern Florida. The English wanted to establish a 'buffer colony' to prevent the Spanish from invading up the eastern coast, and thus Georgia was founded as the 13th colony. The first English settlement was short-lived and was a small fort (King George - an upcoming post) on the Darien River built in 1721. However, James Oglethorpe succeeded w/ the finding of Savannah in 1732, along w/ other towns & forts further south.

Oglethorpe also named Jekyll Island after his friend, Joseph Jekyll. The first English settler on the island was Major William Horton (see quote below) - he was one of Oglethorpe's top military officers and built the tabby structure which is now a historic site - Horton ran a plantation producing crops and Georgia's first beer, primarily to help supply Frederica/Fort Frederica (also another upcoming post) on St. Simon's Island. The DuBignon family, which owned Jekyll from 1790-1886 and occupied the house as their home from 1790 until sometime in the mid-1800s - their small cemetery is across the street from the house.

Pics below are a mix of my own and ones from the web - most are self explanatory, including views of the house and a number of historic plaques - tabby was (and is still used for a historic look) a common 'construction concrete' of the time, made from sand, lime, water, and burned oyster shells (described on one of the signs) - the final image is my pic near the DuBignon cemetery showing the marshland w/ the Sidney Lanier bridge in the background and a shrimp boat (circled) in the right upper corner - Georgia shrimp have a wonderful texture and taste - a MUST try when in the area. Dave

Major William Horton was granted Jekyll Island by the Trustees of the colony of Georgia in 1738, and he constructed this home in 1743. The Horton House is one of the oldest standing tabby structure exteriors in the state.

Horton was one of General James Oglethorpe’s top military aids and was in charge of troops garrisoned at Fort Frederica on nearby St. Simons Island. Horton farmed the island, producing crops to aid with supplying Ft. Frederica. This included hops and barley to produce Georgia’s first beer. Eventually, Horton added a warehouse to the site, of which remains still exist. His brewery, whose remains lie just down the road, supplied ale to troops and settlers at Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island. Today, the tabby ruins of Georgia’s first brewery have mostly fallen into DuBignon Creek.

The site also includes the cemetery of the DuBignon Family, which owned Jekyll from 1790-1886 and occupied the house as their home from 1790 until sometime in the mid-1800s. There you can see the grave of John Eugene DuBignon, who sold Jekyll Island to the Jekyll Island Club in the late 1800’s.

The Horton House is one of the oldest buildings in Georgia, and the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Preservation work on the site was made possible by a Save America’s Treasures grant from the National Park Service, and received an Excellence in Preservation award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation (Source).

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