The velvet green swell of land famous for Sea Island cotton production of
Retreat Plantation, now The Sea Island Golf Course, gives a magnificent vista
overlooking the Sound towards Jekyll Island. The Guale Indians called the
island, Ospo. Later, a 16th century outpost of the Spanish Mission system, the
Mission of San Buenaventra, was built and maintained until 1686. Oglethorpe
changed the name to Jekyll Island in honor of Sir Joseph Jekyll, in 1734. Jekyll
contributed liberally towards the founding of Georgian colonies. Jekyll was
acquired in 1791 by Christophe Poulain du Bignon whose negro slaves cultivated
extensive fields of Sea Island Cotton. The 1858 voyage of "The Wanderer", marked
as the last ship to import negro slaves in America, landed its' cargo on Jekyll
Island near du Bignon's plantation.
In 1886 Jekyll Island was bought by a group of northern industrialists and
incorporated as the Jekyll Island Club. The Pulitzers, Astors, Rockefellers and
Morgans were among the wealthy families enjoying a private winter retreat at Jekyll. By 1900, The Jekyll Island Club
membership was reputed to represent over one-sixth of the world's wealth with such captains of industry as Rockefeller,
Morgan, Crane, Pulitzer and Gould on its' elite rolls. The state of Georgia purchased the island in 1947 with the 1978
designation as a National Historic Landmark.
Today, this storied era of Jekyll's history can be dramatically revisited
with a tram or walking tour of the Island's Historic District. Here, many of the
Club structures and members' cottages, thirty-three in all, have been faithfully
restored and are open for tours. The original Clubhouse has been restored to a
turn-of-the-century elegant, yet comfortably grandeur hotel. A special note for
telecomunications afficionados; "the first transcontinental telephone call made
in the United States was placed on January 25, 1915 during the winter stay of
AT&T president T.N. Vail. Vail spoke with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell,
inventor, in New York; Bell's assistant, Thomas Watson, who was in San
Francisco; and President Woodrow Wilson, the former Georgian, who was presiding
at the White House." Donald T. Wells, "Georgia Studies".
Links:
Are you looking for a pristine oceanside resort experience? From Sunrise to Sunset and all the moments in between,
Villas-By-The-Sea oceanside resort hotel and conference center resides on a lusciously landscaped 17 acres, aged,
towering
windswept oaks capture the essence of island living on Georgia's magnificent Jekyll Island.
Villas By The Sea
Jekyll Island Convention and Visitors
Bureau
Straton Hall
Quality Inn
|
