Photo credit: Map from the book "Once upon an islan: the story of the fabulous Jekyll" by Tallu Fish (1959).
As fascinating for its history as it is for its natural beauty...
A little introduction to Jekyll Island:
Jekyll Island is a 5,529-acre barrier island in Georgia, renowned for its high biodiversity as well as its captivating historical trajectory. Once the exclusive playground of America's business and industrial elite, the island was purchased by Georgia in 1947 and turned into one of the country's most unique state parks.
First, let's locate this island!
Jekyll Island is one of the six barrier islands that constitute the Golden Isles of southeast Georgia. One of the main attractions that brings visitors to the Golden Isles is its diverse wildlife and marine vegetation. Its wide marshes and estuaries provide abundant food and breeding grounds for a multitude of land, sea and air creatures. Jekyll therefore belongs to the State of Georgia and is managed and operated as a public park by the Jekyll Island Authority, with limited residential areas. Preservation of the natural and cultural heritage is a priority, given the extraordinary richness of this peaceful haven.
Native Americans, French, Spanish, English, buccaneers, monks, priests, Huguenots, Puritans, Scottish Highlanders, slave traders, planters, statesmen and millionaires have all inhabited this island with its tumultuous past.
Chronology of the island's Indian, French, Spanish and English occupations:
- Native American period:
The island's original inhabitants were Amerindians who came here to hunt, fish and gather shellfish. They called the island "Ospo". The Timucuas form a nation composed of different groups speaking dialects from the linguistic family of the same name. The Timucuas live in southeast Georgia, northeast and north-central Florida, with a small isolated group in Alabama. The Tacatacuru tribe probably lives on and around the island. Together with the Saturiwa tribe, they form the Mocamas linguistic group, which is a Timucua linguistic sub-group. These two tribes were allies of the French settlers, unlike the Utina, who were allies of the Spanish.
- Colonization era:
Jekyll was discovered in 1562 by Jean Ribault, a French naval captain on a mission of exploration and colonization. From 1562 to 1565, the French flag flew over Ospo, renamed "Île de la Somme". Captain Ribault and his companions were taken prisoner by Spanish troops on September 24 of the same year, then massacred northeast of Florida, not as Frenchmen, but as Lutherans. During Spanish reign, Jekyll is named "Illa de Ballenas" - certainly due to the island's whale-like shape (see "Survey Map" at the top of this page). The Spanish expelled the French and re-established their domination until 1742, when they were defeated by the English army led by General Oglethorpe, founder of the state of Georgia. On January 28, 1734, Oglethorpe renamed the island "Jekyll" in honor of Sir Joseph Jekyll (1663-1738), an experienced judge and member of the English Parliament, who generously financed the young colony.
The Jekyll's chronology here: https://www.jekyllisland.com/history/timeline/
The French presence on Jekyll is noteworthy, since more than two centuries after Jean Ribault's discovery, the Du Bignon family settled there. They lived there for nearly a century, from 1791 to 1886, when the partnership between Jean Eugène Du Bignon and his brother-in-law Newton Finney enabled the island to be sold to wealthy New Yorkers looking for a place to live in winter. The late 1880s saw the creation of the Jekyll Island Club House. This prestigious club, which attracted the "crème de la crème", still exists today. It's a magnificent place where refined cuisine is enhanced by the pleasure of a talented pianist... from my happy experience!
- The mid-20th century marked a turning point in the history of this future tourist destination. In 1947, the State of Georgia purchased the island from the tycoons who owned the prestigious Jekyll Island Club. In 1948, Jekyll opened to the public and became a vast state park. The main concern was to preserve and respect the abundant "living things" on this barrier island, while developing green tourism. As a result, the State of Georgia designated the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) as the sole authority for the general operation of the island. Its main mission is to maintain the delicate balance between nature protection and human activity.
- Not forgetting the history of African slaves and their descendants on Georgian ground. This page will give you more details on their history: https://jekyllislandfoundation.org/tag/black-history-on-jekyll-island/
- The Wanderer Memory Trail has received a UNESCO Slave Route Project “Site of Memory” designation of the Middle Passage arrival on Jekyll Island. For more information, visit middlepassageproject.org and
https://jekyllislandfoundation.org/about/for-the-record/the-wanderer-memory-trail/
Jekyll Island's (short) blues history:
In 1961, B.B. King performed at the Dolphin Club Lounge - along with other renowned artists such as Percy Sledge and Millie Jackson. This not-to-be-missed venue was part of the "Chitlin' Circuit" a chain of black-owned nightclubs that thrived mainly in the segregated South. These clubs provided safe havens for traveling black artists to perform for black audiences.
Anecdotes and things to know:
- The "tabby ", an emblematic natural concrete:
It's a type of building material used in southeastern coastal regions between the late 1500s and the 1850s. The origin of the word tabby itself is unclear: the Spanish word tapia refers to a mud wall, and the Arabic word tabbi to a mixture of mortar and lime. Similar words also appear in Portuguese and Gullah (an African dialect). The Spanish seem to be the ones bringing the tabby concept to the New World and using it extensively in Florida. The people of Georgia adapted the tabby "recipe" to existing local materials. When Jekyll Island was developed as a retreat for millionaires in the 1880s, this tabby concrete was reborn. Several of the island's mansions were built using tabby mixed with "Portland" cement. Although the use of this traditional material virtually disappeared after 1925, tabby construction is not totally extinct in Georgia. In 1988, the Camden County Public Library near Woodbine was built in revival tabby. It might have others structures made of revival tabby in Georgia I do not know... for now...
- The Jekyll Island Club aka "The Millionaires Club ":
Farmland gave way to a grand clubhouse, what Munsey's Magazine called "the richest, most inaccessible club in the world" - the Jekyll Island Club was born. Having chosen Jekyll Island, and under the direction of its powerful men, it became the most exclusive resort in the country. Its members were said to represent one-sixth of the world's wealth, and an agreed diktat that no unwanted or uninvited guests ever visited the island, a rule that remained in force until 1942.
Soon, the names Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Gould, Crane, Morgan and Goodyear signed the register when the clubhouse opened in 1888. Later, they built cottages on the land that remains today. With its stellar intimacy, the island has been the setting for many historic events. Visit the Jekyll Island National Historic Landmark District to see some of these historic homes.
In 1910, Senator Nelson Aldrich of Rhode Island called a secret meeting on Jekyll Island to discuss banking reform. This discussion led to the Aldrich Plan, which became the forerunner of the Federal Reserve System - later to be known as the FED.
- The first transcontinental telephone call ever made took place on January 15, 1915. The call connected Theodore Vail, club member and president of AT&T on Jekyll Island, to President Wilson in Washington, Alexander Graham Bell in New York, and his assistant, Thomas Watson, in San Francisco. : https://www.goldenisles.com/discover/jekyll-island/history )
- "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde", Robert Stevenson (R.L.S.),1886.
"The story behind the scene"
Another anecdote about Jekyll's Island: Robert Stevenson (1850-1894) chose 17th-century London as the setting for this memorable work... His choice was justified by the names of four of the main characters in Stevenson's tale: Carew, Jekyll, Lanyon and Hyde. The author of Treasure Island was close to a descendant of Sir Joseph Jekyll. Stevenson asked him if he could use Jekyll's surname, and the grandfather agreed.
The essentials:
To get there by car*, take the straight flat GA 520 road. You can also get there by boat, of course. I've cycled there several times from Brunswick, with some enthusiasm.
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll is a rehabilitation hospital, research center and educational facility dedicated to the conservation and protection of sea turtles. Open to the public year-round, the Center offers exhibits, sick turtle viewing and a variety of educational programs and excursions.
Mosaic, the Jekyll Island Museum: The museum has been completely renovated and redesigned. It guides you through the cultural and natural history of the island, which is full of surprises and treasures. Comprehensive, interactive exhibits await you, while breathtaking visuals and sounds tell the story of this magical island.
: https://www.jekyllisland.com/history/museum
Find out more about all the great achievements in conservation, preservation and education on the island:
https://jekyllislandfoundation.org/achievements/
http://www.savejekyllisland.org/MissionStatement.html
Timucua fortified village
Jean Ribault
The soon-to-be-famous B.B.King - credit: Michael Ochs archives
Jelyll Island Clubhouse
