Cumberland Island
A January 1998 vacation trip allowed us to revisit Cumberland Island and it brought back a flood of pleasant memories of time spent on this beautiful subtropical island. An island where sun, water, sky, marsh, sand and maritime forests intermingle, creating a gentle haze on the horizon. Its physical beauty and setting give it an air of spirituality.
Three years ago from January 6th to April 2nd, we lived on the island as part of the National Park Services “Volunteer in Park” program. We were in the interpretive section of the park: we made plant collections, identified many of the plants on the southern end of the island, wrote a trail guide, and gave nature walks. Work and play were the same thing.
For over 4,000 years, the Timucuan Indians lived in this paradise. From the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 18th century, England, France, and Spain vied for its control. Forts were built and the resulting wars forced the Indians to leave their home, never to return.
The Revolutionary War hero, General Nathaniel Greene purchased a large acreage on the island and intended to harvest live oak timber for ship building. He died soon after and his widow, Catherine, married Phineas Miller, and they built an impressive 4 story mansion made from tabby, a mixture of sea shells, sand and lime. Eli Whitney was among the noted visitors, and General Lighthorse Harry Lee, the father of Robert E. died and was buried on the island.
For about 100 years, large plantations were maintained with the help of hundreds of slaves. Union troops in 1862 transported all the slaves to Amelia Island, bringing an end to the plantation period. After the war, a few of the slaves returned, but today there are no descendants on the island and only a small Baptist church and a few chimneys remain.
In the 1880’s, Thomas Carnegie (brother of Andrew) and his wife Lucy built a large mansion known as Dungeness. Thomas died soon after and Lucy acquired most of the island and developed it into one large playground for her family. She employed over 300 workers. It became a social magnet for the wealthy and famous. Following the death of Lucy, the mansion was left to caretakers. The last formal occasion was the marriage of one of her granddaughters in 1926.
Lucy built four other grand houses for her children and today, one of them, Greyfield, is operated as a bed and breakfast by four grandchildren. Dungeness deteriorated rapidly and burned in 1959. Visitors today can see the ghostly skeleton of its remains. Greyfield was the scene of the very private wedding of John Kennedy recently.
Cumberland is the largest and southernmost of Georgia’s barrier islands. It has 18 miles of white sandy beaches on the ocean side, 24,000 acres of land and 10,000 acres of marshes on the sound side. It is separated from the mainland by the Inland Waterway.
The story that led to its establishment as a National Park shows the pressures that exist on such areas. Steps were taken that would lead to its development as a resort as had happened to Hilton Head and Jekyll Islands. Contributions from the Carnegie family members and supporting foundations helped win congressional approval for establishing Cumberland Island National Seashore in 1972. Ten thousand acres in the northern part of the island are designated as a Wilderness Area.
Today Cumberland Island offers a cornucopia of natural wonders. They include wild horses, feral hogs, wild turkey, over 300 species of birds and pristine beaches virtually devoid of people. Shell hunting is a favorite morning diversion.
There are interdune meadows, back dunes that reach higher than 50 feet, gnarled maritime forests, life filled swamps including alligators, and a great expanse of salt marsh. Deer, armadillo, and raccoon are sighted daily and bobcat have been successfully introduced.
There are no phones, no shops and no vehicles (except for those belonging to the National Park and the few remaining residents). Transportation to and from the island is by a 45 minute ferry ride from St. Marys. Only 300 people are permitted on the island on any given day, and that includes day visitors, backpackers, and campers. Their number is controlled by reservations for the ferry which also charges a fee. Those reservations and camping reservations can be made by calling 912-882-4335 between 10 am and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. The ferry port is the Ranger’s Station at St. Marys, Georgia.
Jasmine blooms in January. February and March are good shell collecting months and warblers come through on their spring migrations. Painted buntings come in April and in May, sea pinks and white star rushes bloom. Protected Loggerhead Turtles begin nesting on the beaches. Shorebirds, including the endangered Least Tern, begin nesting in June. So each season, each month, each day reveals new wonders on this ever changing barrier island. Yet the tides have rolled in and out at scheduled times for millions of years.
Because of funding problems, volunteerism becomes a necessity for the daily operation of our National Parks and also our State Parks. Everyone has some talents that can be utilized at some park, somewhere. It is a very rewarding experience. For information about volunteering in the National Parks, call me at 447-2896.
-- Percy