4/6 Jekyll Island Historic Area

Jekyll Island was purchased by an individual who in turn sold memberships to the elite millionaires of the late 19th Century. You could not get on the island unless you were a member, the guest of a member, or a servant of a member.  Lots were leased to members, many of whom built "cottages" near the hotel to use in the very short season of January to March each year.  You arrived by boat and either stayed in your own cottage or the very large and grand hotel where gourmet meals were prepared and entertainment was arranged.  You could have meals brought to you, or prepared in your own cottage. 

And here is the hotel lawn with the croquet field set up.  There was also a golf course, tennis courts, and billiards rooms.

Here are some of these cottages owned by the likes of the Rockefellers:

Here is the pier where the boats arrived with guests:

Some servants were private and lived in the homes of their employers, but there was also a small village set up for tradespeople and people who worked in the hotel and golf course, plus small shops, including a taxidermist for the game that was caught and stuffed.  This area is now small gift shops.

This is the stables, and is now a museum.

Jekyll Island is now owned by the State of Georgia and is a sort of state park, but is run by the Jekyll Island Authority that controls everything on the island.  You can own a home or a business on the island, but you must lease the land from the authority, and by law at least 70% of the island must be maintained in a natural state.  For that reason, development is very slow and minimal, although they are building a big convention center and a couple extremely large hotels and a shopping plaza.

Anyway, here are some azaleas to prove it is now spring in Georgia, and a photo of my campsite with the "Red Bug" golf cart I rented for two days.  It is much too difficult to take my motorhome around these roads and the island is a bit too large for my bike, so this was a good decision.