Cumberland Island

Once I was feeling better we took off to get back on the journey.  We had been heading to Cumberland Island so that was I first stop.  Our daughter Martha and her beau, Dylan, have visited the park and told us how much they loved it so it was on our must-do list.  It was so much better than we could have expected.  The entire island is a remote wonderland.  Eventually the entire island will be managed by the National Park Service.  Their plan is to maintain the historically significant buildings and monitor the rest.  They have an active turtle, manatee, whale, horsecrab and horse counting data collection.  They also monitor the progression of sand shifting and erosion.  As one ranger told us, they count, a lot!  The island has a rich and colorful history starting with native Americans to modern times. It has been controlled by many diverse groups.  With Georgia being one of the original 13 colonies, there were plantations and towns there before the Revolutionary War.  One of the largest tracts was awarded to Nathanael Greene for his service in the war.  He and his wife built their mansion on the south end of the island and named it Dungeness.  It remained in their family for several generations.  When the island caught the eye of the Carnegie family at the end of the 19th Century they build their own mansion on the original Dungeness' foundations and kept the name.  At one point, the Carnegie family owned most of the entire island and used it for their winter playground.  They had casinos, polo fields, mansions and pools and stables and on and on.  To keep things going, they employed over 300 people whom they provided housing and meals for as well.
Besides all of that, the island has miles of hiking trails, camping and other historic sites on the north end of the island.  We took the guided tour and it lasted over 6 hours and we didn't see everything!  If you have a bucket list, put Cumberland Island on it.
Cumberland Island website:  https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm

There are several herds of wild horses.  Some are from plantation days and some
are from the Carnegie era.  This little colt was only a few days old and we were
able to watch as he learned to kick up his heels and scamper around.

This colt is about 3 weeks old.  Most of the horses were in good shape
but as in any wild population, we also so some that we much older and in
their final stage of life.

This is not a closeup picture.  This deer must be so used to people it
let me walk right up to it and take its picture.

The island is full of wildlife of all varieties.  This raccoon was taking advantage of
low tide to hunt for clams and other seafood goodies.

The dunes on the Atlantic side of the island are unspoiled by development
with a very healthy ecosystem of plants and animals.

On the sound side of the island, erosion caused by weather is a constant.

One of the pathways .  It was cool walking in the dense shade.

\We learned that the island's occupants planted rows of trees in the
southern European fashion for both beauty and shade.  They rows are called
colonnades and grace most of the island's main road.  The main road is only
slightly wider than this lane leading to a house.

This is the only building left of the original Dungeness.  It dates back to
1797 and was used by the Greene's overseer.  The Carnegies used it
for their accounting house

This is a church established by the black community for themselves.  It was
made famous a while back as the site of John Kennedy Jr.'s wedding.  How they
managed to pull off total secrecy was a whole story itself.

This is the Captain's house on the Carnegie compound.  He was responsible
for maintaining their fleet of yachts and the island's docks.

To keep her children close by, Mama Carnegie had substantial bribes.  One of the
things was to build each of them a "house" when they married.  Her eldest son
married a railroad tycoon's daughter and when she saw this small, merely 5,000 sq ft, of house
she cried to Papa who gave her the money to make it a proper home.  She was all of 19!
This is the front facade of the home Plum Orchard.  While she was given the house,
Mama kept the land so when the son died the daughter-in-law left it all to marry
a duke and spend the rest of her days hunting game in Africa.

This is one of the original ice making machines.  considering the house was
built in the 1890s, that was amazing.  The house was also completely plumbed which
caused a lot of consternation for the local builders.  Most had never seen a toilet much
less installed one.  

Of course, friends were always expected to come visit.  This was a
lady's traveling trunk.

The house was furnished with so many lovely antiques.  This Tiffany lamp
shows the detailed glass work that made Tiffany famous.

There were a pair of these lamps in the "boys" section of the house.  The
outside glass looks like tortoise shells while the inside looks like oysters.

The ruins of the Carnegie Dungeness.  Apparently there was a disgruntled
local who didn't appreciate being kicked off the island for poaching and came
back while the family was away and set the mansion afire. Most of the support
buildings and housing for workers still exists.

This interesting structure would have been covered with vines to provide
a cool, shady spot to watch the polo matches.

Lovely statuary dot the grounds as well.

The grand staircase at Plum Orchard.  The wallpaper is actually
hand painted burlap with the Carnegie crest.