CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GA - CUMBERLAND ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE AND DUNGENESS RUINS

Monday, March 30th, 2015

Day 238
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 3056


  We put the dinghy down and boated over to the small public boat dock on Cumberland Island National Seashore Park.  This island is only accessible by boat and there is a ferry that leaves from St. Marys, GA to bring visitors to the park. The island is 17.5 miles long and has more then 36,000 acres of habitat.  It was first inhabited by the Timucua Indians nearly 4,000 years ago.  During the 16th century it was part of the Mocama missionary province of Spanish Florida.  Later on, several families significant to American history had homes here on the island.  
  James Oglethope, British general and founder of the colony of Georgia, built a hunting lodge, called "Dungeness", on the island in 1736.  
  The next "Dungeness" was built by Nathaneal Greene's widow, Catherine, in 1803.  Nathaneal, a Revolutionary War Hero, had acquired 11,000 acres of this island in exchange for a bad debt.  It was a four story tabby mansion.  The Greene house was abandoned during the Civil War and burnt to the ground in 1866.  
  In the 1880's, Thomas Carnegie purchased this property and built a new mansion on the same site.  This Dungeness had 59 rooms and was over 37,000 square feet.  Also on the property were several pools, a pergola, a recreational building, a golf course, and 40 smaller buildings to house the 200 servants who worked on the property.  Thomas never lived to see it completed, however, Lucy and her nine children did live on the island.  After the Crash and the Great Depression the Carnegie family abandoned the home.  In 1959, the house suffered a fire, felt to be started by a poacher.  At that time, the Carnegies owned about 90% of Cumberland Island.  In 1971, most of Cumberland Island was deeded to the National Parks Foundation by members or heirs of the Carnegie family.  Today, the federal government owns approximately 85% of the island.  
  It is a National Park where all can come and enjoy the outdoors.  There are numerous hiking and walking trails with a great canopy of trees and vegetation. 

walking path lined with live oak trees

  Visitors can also tour the Carnegie Dungeness Ruins.  There was an audio tour using your cell phone that provided some history.  We could imagine how magnificent the mansion and grounds would have been when the Carnegies were still living in the home. 

Dungeness ruins

  The oldest house on the Island is the Tabby House.  This is not the mansion of Catherine Greene, but rather, the home built for the her gardener.

oldest house on Cumberland Island - Tabby House

  There is a herd of feral horses that inhabit this island and they often can be seen grazing around the ruins area.  We came across a group on our walk today.

feral horses on Cumberland Island

  We took the dinghy back to the boat and had a nice relaxing lunch in the flybridge.  We had a beautiful view from our anchorage.  

"Seahorse" anchored by Cumberland Island

  A visit to Cumberland Island National Seashore would not be complete without a trip to the beach.  After lunch, we took the dinghy back to the park and walked the 0.5 mile trek across the island to the beach.  The sand dunes were amazing and untouched by civilization and the beach was pristine with fine white sand.  

walking on boardwalk across the sand dunes to the beach

sand dunes and the beach

beautiful blue ocean and tan beach

  

  We really enjoyed our visit to Cumberland Island National Seashore and finished our day with another beautiful sunset. 

sunset at Cumberland Island anchorage