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The 'rich' history of Georgia's Jekyll Island
With its sun-soaked beaches and centuries-old oak trees, there’s a romance and drama to Georgia’s Jekyll Island that once lured some of the most powerful families in America. Now what was once called 'the most inaccessible club in the world' is a state park open to everyone.
JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. - With its sun-soaked beaches and centuries-old oak trees, there’s a romance and drama to Georgia’s Jekyll Island that once lured some of the most powerful families in America.
"William Rockefeller, William Vanderbilt, Vincent Astor, J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field," lists Tom Alexander, the Jekyll Island authority director of historic resources. "This was their winter haven for almost 60 years."
Those men — reportedly worth one-sixth of the world’s wealth at the time — purchased the island in 1886, turning it into an opulent getaway called the Jekyll Island Club. It remained an exclusive resort until the years just following World War II, when the state took over the island and transformed it into a state park.
Today, Jekyll Island is a popular tourist destination that draws visitors from around the world, many of whom are there to learn more about the unique history of the island. 34 structures from the Gilded Age remain, making up Jekyll Island’s National Historic Landmark District; regular trolley tours take visitors through the historic district, telling the stories of the influential families who once vacationed there.
Most of the historic structures are still used today; the Crane Cottage, for example, is now a popular wedding venue, and the old power plant serves as the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, taking in sick and injured sea turtles.
"In the state of Georgia, [we are] the only sea turtle rehabilitation facility, " says center director Michelle Kaylor. "So, any sea turtle that is stranded or debilitated in the state of Georgia comes to our hospital."
Even the old horse stables were recycled into Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, which traces the island’s history from the indigenous peoples of 3,500 years ago to its place during the civil rights movement.
"In the 1950s and ‘60s, Jekyll Island was one of the few places in the segregated South that African-American people could enjoy the beach," says Alexander.
So, while Jekyll Island was once called "the most inaccessible club in the world," today, its shores are open to everyone. And good news — you don’t need to own a newspaper or railroad to enjoy the riches of those famous golden sunsets.
For more information on visiting Jekyll Island, click here.