Jekyll Island Historic District
The club once boasted a
membership that included the
Rockefeller, Goodyear,
Morgan and Vanderbilt
families.
The club once boasted a
membership that included the
Rockefeller, Goodyear,
Morgan and Vanderbilt
families.
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Jekyll Island Historic District, Georgia
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Jekyll Island Historic District, Georgia
| Jekyll Island Club Hotel The beautiful old clubhouse of the Jekyll Island Club was completed in 1888 and is now a hotel serving visitors to the historic Georgia island. |
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A Millionaire's "Cottage"
The Indian Mound Cottage
was once owned by the
Rockefeller family.
The Indian Mound Cottage
was once owned by the
Rockefeller family.
Moss Cottage on Jekyll
One owned by E.V. Macy, the
Moss Cottage is among
numerous restored structures
that dot the beautiful Jekyll
Island Historic District
One owned by E.V. Macy, the
Moss Cottage is among
numerous restored structures
that dot the beautiful Jekyll
Island Historic District
Jekyll Island Historic District - Jekyll Island, Georgia
The Historic Jekyll Island Club
One of the most remarkable historic sites in
Georgia is the famed Jekyll Island Club on
Jekyll Island. Once the highly exclusive
playground of the country's wealthiest
people, the club is now owned by the State of
Georgia and is open to guests from all walks
of life.
Sometimes called the Millionaire's Village
because of the numerous magnificent
"cottages" built there by club members 100
years ago, the Jekyll Island Club is a major
historic landmark.
It all started when a former Confederate
officer, Newton Finney, joined with his
brother-in-law John Eugene DuBignon in a
plan to purchase almost all of Jekyll Island.
The beautiful expanse of oceanfront land is
one of the famed Golden Isles of Georgia.
Finney had once served on the staff of
General Robert E. Lee and he and DuBignon
planned to develop Jekyll Island as an
exclusive hunting preserve for gentlemen
form the nation's wealthiest families. Their
project exceeded their wildest dreams.
By the time construction began on the famed
Jekyll Island Clubhouse, now a hotel, in
1886, the island had been sold to the new
Jekyll Island Club, an exclusive entity that
began with 53 members/investors. Among
the names on the club's membership roll
were J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K.
Vanderbilt and Marshall Field.
The clubhouse opened its doors in 1888 as
one of the most opulent structures in the
South. It was soon surrounded by a host of
other magnificent structures, many of them
the vacation "cottages" (i.e. mansions) of the
club's members.
Because of the prominence of the club's
members, Jekyll Island became the center of
some of the most pivotal events of the early
20th century. In 1915, for example, AT&T
president Theodore Vail placed the first
transcontinental telephone call from the
island.
A secret meeting on Jekyll Island in 1907,
following a severe run on the nation's banks,
led to the formation of what was called the
Aldrich Plan. This outline for a system of
financial security eventually formed the basis
of today's Federal Reserve, one of the most
powerful financial entities in the world.
Georgia is the famed Jekyll Island Club on
Jekyll Island. Once the highly exclusive
playground of the country's wealthiest
people, the club is now owned by the State of
Georgia and is open to guests from all walks
of life.
Sometimes called the Millionaire's Village
because of the numerous magnificent
"cottages" built there by club members 100
years ago, the Jekyll Island Club is a major
historic landmark.
It all started when a former Confederate
officer, Newton Finney, joined with his
brother-in-law John Eugene DuBignon in a
plan to purchase almost all of Jekyll Island.
The beautiful expanse of oceanfront land is
one of the famed Golden Isles of Georgia.
Finney had once served on the staff of
General Robert E. Lee and he and DuBignon
planned to develop Jekyll Island as an
exclusive hunting preserve for gentlemen
form the nation's wealthiest families. Their
project exceeded their wildest dreams.
By the time construction began on the famed
Jekyll Island Clubhouse, now a hotel, in
1886, the island had been sold to the new
Jekyll Island Club, an exclusive entity that
began with 53 members/investors. Among
the names on the club's membership roll
were J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K.
Vanderbilt and Marshall Field.
The clubhouse opened its doors in 1888 as
one of the most opulent structures in the
South. It was soon surrounded by a host of
other magnificent structures, many of them
the vacation "cottages" (i.e. mansions) of the
club's members.
Because of the prominence of the club's
members, Jekyll Island became the center of
some of the most pivotal events of the early
20th century. In 1915, for example, AT&T
president Theodore Vail placed the first
transcontinental telephone call from the
island.
A secret meeting on Jekyll Island in 1907,
following a severe run on the nation's banks,
led to the formation of what was called the
Aldrich Plan. This outline for a system of
financial security eventually formed the basis
of today's Federal Reserve, one of the most
powerful financial entities in the world.
For decades the island and the Jekyll Island
Club were centerpieces of the social lives of
the nation's rich and famous. Dinners were
served each night in the magnificent club and
families basked in the luxury of their stunning
"cottages."
Times changed, however, and as the 20th
century brought incredible developments in
communications and travel as well as the
tragedies of the first and second world wars,
the Jekyll Island Club slowly returned to the
obscurity from which it had risen. In 1947, the
entire island was purchased by the State of
Georgia for $675,000.
The one-time playground of the rich and
powerful is now open to the public. The
clubhouse now operates as a beautiful
historic hotel that is surprisingly affordable.
Please click here for more information.
Many of the millionaire cottages have been
restored and are now open to the public.
Visitors can walk the grounds any time, or
join guided tours that operate from the visitor
center in the Historic District.
Club were centerpieces of the social lives of
the nation's rich and famous. Dinners were
served each night in the magnificent club and
families basked in the luxury of their stunning
"cottages."
Times changed, however, and as the 20th
century brought incredible developments in
communications and travel as well as the
tragedies of the first and second world wars,
the Jekyll Island Club slowly returned to the
obscurity from which it had risen. In 1947, the
entire island was purchased by the State of
Georgia for $675,000.
The one-time playground of the rich and
powerful is now open to the public. The
clubhouse now operates as a beautiful
historic hotel that is surprisingly affordable.
Please click here for more information.
Many of the millionaire cottages have been
restored and are now open to the public.
Visitors can walk the grounds any time, or
join guided tours that operate from the visitor
center in the Historic District.
Photos of the Jekyll Island Historic District
Ghosts of Jekyll Island
Historic Sites on Jekyll Island
Historic Sites on St. Simons Island
Golden Isles of Georgia
Historic Sites in Georgia
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
Ghosts of Jekyll Island
Historic Sites on Jekyll Island
Historic Sites on St. Simons Island
Golden Isles of Georgia
Historic Sites in Georgia
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
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