The Dungeness of Oglethorpe, Greene, and Carnegie

Monday 21 February 2011

Seven miles east of St. Mary's Georgia and just north of Amelia Island Florida, Cumberland Island is the largest and southernmost barrier island in the Georgia sea island chain. It is skirted on the east by an unbroken fringe of Atlantic coastal beach. Most of the island is included in the Cumberland Island National Seashore, but some of the people who had property on the island when it was made into a National Park retain the rights to live on the island for their lifetimes. We have been all around it by sea, but until 2011 we had never actually been to the island. We've come from Jekyll Island and gone out Brunswick Inlet into St. Andrews Sound (top of the chart) and come around it and come in the St. Mary's Inlet. (bottom of the chart). And then when we were coming north 3 or 4 months later, we've come from Fernandina up Cumberland Sound past Kings Bay Submarine Base and up the Cumberland River to Jekyll Island in the Intercoastal Waterway

It is accessible by a concession operated passenger ferry. The only other way you can get there is on your own boat. I really wanted to try to see Cumberland Island closer than from offshore, so I tried to get a reservation on the ferry in 2004. I had no luck - it was completely booked. So this time I made the reservation in October asked for a beach wheelchair. I also made a hotel reservation by the waterfront, and asked the hotel to give us a packed lunch.

Cat on the bed

We went down for breakfast in the morning. One of the cats was on someone's bed as I went by.

Looking down the stairs to the lobby

Fireplace

The portrait of the three sisters over the fireplace

They were out of most things including any kind of juice. She finally brought me cranberry juice, and I had a bagel or something.

Since our reservation for the ferry wasn't until 11:30, we drove around through the town looking at the old houses.

City of St Marys Town Hall

City of St. Mary's

We already had seen the hotel, the old grocery story where we had dinner and the Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum

Presented in the order they were built

• Jackson Clark Bessent MacDonnell House, built circa 1801

Jackson-Clark-Bessent-MacDonell-Nesbitt House c.1801 314 Osborne Street

The two story wooden frame hall-parlor house was constructed for Charles Jackson, a Revolutionary War Soldier, and contains a series of additions dating to circa 1880, 1970, and 1980. The house shows evidence of having been I-shaped originally with the main elevation's siding thinner than the other portions of the house. The hip roof has a saltbox shape which incorporates the rear porch.

• First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church 1808 - bell cast by Paul Revere in the bell tower

First Presbyterian sign

was built in 1808 and the first pastor Reverend Horace Southworth Pratt was installed in 1822. This small cemetery contains the graves of Jane F. Wood Pratt (the wife of Rev. Pratt), and her parents John and Laleah Wood.

Graves at First Presbyterian

The cemetery is in the side yard of the church under the Pratt Oak. The wooden frame church with continuous masonry foundation and stucco coating was originally constructed for worship of all Christian faiths. The front tower has a pyramidal roofed belfry with turned balustrade along the entry steps which lead to the rounded arch entry.

First Presbyterian - smugglers put a horse in the bell tower to distract the townfolk while they left town

This entry was originally along the east elevation and was moved to the south during renovations in 1898.

• Orange Hall, built circa 1835

Haunted Orange Hall - Greek Revival (1830)

This Greek Revival wooden frame house at 303 Osborne Street is on a continuous brick foundation is notable for its large preserved city lot and high style. The brick foundation serves as a useable basement for the large house. The front portico has double heighted Roman Doric columns, acanthus leaf embellishments in the pediment, and a Greek door surround.

Orange Hall sign

• Methodist church building

St Mary's United Methodist Church began meeting before 1812. The chapel was built in 1858 at a cost of $695. Interesting fact: originally including a balcony -it seated 200!

St Mary's Methodist Church

• Long Bunkley Briggs House, built circa 1860.

Long-Bunkley-Briggs House c. 1860-104 Weed Street East,

The two story wooden frame I-shaped house has a single story porch with square posts. The house has mortise and tenon brace frame construction, an early addition (circa 1880s) to the rear and 1920s additions flanking the earlier extension.

• Spencer House, built circa 1870.

Spencer House 1872 Vernacular Architecture Two Story Salmon Color Inn-200 Osborne Street/101 Bryant Street

Spencer House was built for the Collector of Customs, W.T. Spencer and his wife Louise by Theodore Spencer. The wooden frame house has Italianate and Neoclassical Revival elements including the round ached windows and Tuscan porch columns. The front double doors are also Italianate glazed doors with a two light transom window.

• Christ Episcopal Church, circa 1885.

Christ Church 305 Wheeler Street

Side of the church

The small wooden frame church was built on brick piers features a pyramidal roof lantern and slight decorative crown moldings over the windows.

• Miller Lovell House, built circa 1895.

Miller-Lovell House 303 Wheeler Street

The Neoclassical Revival Georgian inspired wooden frame cottage has a hip roof, corbeled chimney, and Tuscan columns which make it a good example of southern Neoclassical Revival cottages.

• Miller Arnow House, built circa 1900.

Miller Arnow House - 105 Bryant Street West- now Golden Pineapple Antiques

The two story Folk Victorian style Miller Arnow House wooden frame building was originally built for James M. Miller. The house is notable for its two story integrated porch and full heighted double hung 2/2 sash windows on the main elevation.

• Bachlott Porter House, built 1911

Bachlott- Porter House - built 1911 at 220 Osborne Street

The wooden frame, hip roofed, Neoclassical Revival Queen Anne Bachlott Porter House stands on a continuous concrete foundation with ashlar stone finish. The eves have modilions, gables are pedimented, and there is a wide frieze band. Corner Pilasters have Ionic capitals, so does the wrap porch. The windows are largely leaded and lozenge shaped some of which have crown molding.

• First Baptist Church- 1938

First Baptist Church

• Harris House - built 1955

Harris House

Unidentified houses in the historic district

One of the houses in the historic district

All of the big old live oaks are named.

Live Oaks-This one looks like it has been in an altercation with a car

Then we went to the Oak Grove Cemetery

Monument in the cemetery

and wandered around - talked to some other people there.

Grave of an unknown child

Oak Grove Cemetery-Robert Ward Harrison Jr

The Boy Scouts did an Eagle Scout survey of the cemetery and posted a map of all the graves.

After we finished driving around St. Mary's, we went over to the National Park office and signed in for the 11:30 ferry.

Diversion

In the old days I would have definitely come to Cumberland and camped. Both developed and wilderness camping is available. Reservations can be made up to six months in advance. Permits are required and are picked up at the Sea Camp Ranger Station. All camping is limited to seven days. Spring and late fall are peak seasons. There is an anchorage

Anchorage area off Cumberland

off the Sea Camp Dock and you can dingy ashore. But we've never had enough time to even do that.

Map of Cumberland Island

Developed sites:

• Sea Camp Campground is $4.00 per person per night. The campground at Sea Camp has restroom facilities with cold water showers, a small amphitheater for ranger programs, and boardwalk access to the beach. This campground consists of 16 individual camp sites and two group sites. Group sites can accommodate 10-20 people. Each campsite has a grill, fire ring, food cage, and picnic table. Sites are assigned upon arrival at the Sea Camp Ranger Station.
• Stafford Campground sites are $2.00 per person per night and are located 3.5 miles from the Sea Camp Ranger Station. Restrooms, showers, and fire rings are available at the site. Fire rings are on a first come first serve basis. Sites are assigned at the Sea Camp Ranger Station.

NO FIRES, TREAT WATER, PACK OUT TRASH.

Backcountry and Wilderness Camping sites are $2.00 per person per night. There are no facilities at the Wilderness sites and water must be treated. Campfires are not permitted in the Wilderness and portable stoves are suggested for food preparation. The three Wilderness sites range from 5.5 to 10.5 miles from the Sea Camp ferry dock. Sites are assigned upon arrival at Sea Camp Ranger Station.

Observe and practice LEAVE NO TRACE principles.

• Hickory Hill: 5.5 miles from Sea Camp, in the heart of the island, offers a fascinating close encounter with an intriguing interior freshwater wetland and its wildlife. Due to being located in a wetland area, bugs are often prevalent.
• Yankee Paradise: 7.5 miles from Sea Camp, also in the center of the island and a half days walk to and from the Plum Orchard Mansion.
• Brickhill Bluff: 10.5 miles from Sea Camp, located on the Brickhill River. A favorite place for seeing dolphins and manatees.

I can no longer do the camping, so if I wanted to stay on Cumberland I'd have to stay at the Greyfield Inn. It is very private and exclusive, and somewhat expensive with rooms running up to $600 a night. But I think that includes meals as there is nowhere else on the island to buy food. They have their own ferry service from Fernandina Beach.

Picture of Greyfield Inn from 1901

In 1900, Thomas and Lucy Carnegie built Greyfield for their daughter, Margaret Ricketson. It was converted to an inn during 1962 by her daughter, Lucy R. Ferguson, and it retains the original furnishings from the turn of the century.

You get a full breakfast which includes fresh-squeezed orange juice and fruit, as well as eggs, pancakes or one of the Chef's specialties. Mid-day, you get picnic lunch. There is a cocktail hour each evening with hors d'oeuvres and dinner is a casually elegant affair, served in the glow of candlelight

End Diversion

After we checked in, we went downstairs to wait for the ranger to give us instructions. There was a group of about 10 couples from Elderhostel (aka Road Scholars) there and I listened to what their guide said. She said to stand on the boat side of the ranger because there wouldn't be enough seats for everyone. So I did the same

Elderhostel group eating lunch on the ferry

We got onto the ferry and did get seats. We ate our lunch on the ferry which included a club sandwich, chips, cheese crackers (Bob doesn't eat cheese, so I ate it), cookies, an apple (which Bob also didn't eat), and water.

NPS Ferry wake

There is no food service available on the island. There is no place on the island to purchase any consumables, including ice, food, beverages or anything else of that kind. Unless you can eat grass like the horses, either you Bring Your Own Lunch (BYOL) or you go without.

Water to drink

Water bottles can be refilled at the fountains at bathroom areas.

Bob dressed warmly, hat and sunglasses

Ranger at the dock starting the tour

Ice House/Museum from the ferry dock

Rules and Information

Please Read

The following are prohibited:
• the taking of wildlife or possessing unlawfully taken wildlife
• the feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentional disturbing of wildlife nesting, breeding or other activities

Harassing the wildlife

• carrying or using a trap or net

Shells and shark’s teeth may be collected. All other resources can be observed and then returned to its proper place

• pets in the campgrounds or on the Ferry are prohibited

The following are prohibited at campgrounds
• failing to obtain a permit.
• digging or leveling the ground at a campsite
• creating or sustaining unreasonable noise between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am
• in non-developed areas, operating any type of portable motor or engine, or device powered by a portable motor or engine
• depositing refuse in the plumbing fixtures or vaults of a toilet facility

This is not a trash receptacle

• bathing, or washing food, clothing, dishes, or other property at public water outlets, except at those designated for such purpose

All trash must be packed out; no refuse facilities are available on the island.

(1) Fires are permitted in Sea Camp and Stafford camp sites in designated fire rings. Fires will be extinguished upon termination of use.
(2) Only dead and down wood may be collected for campfires.

There are no lifeguards present on Cumberland Island beaches. Only cross the dunes at the marked crossing places/

Respect the Private Property Signs

Be back in time to get your ferry

Be sure to be at the ferry dock to get your ferry back to St. Mary's.

You don't want to see the last boat leaving you

There are no motorized vehicles on the island for visitors except in extremely limited circumstances. There is a "Lands and Legacies" Tour which is a five to six hour motorized tour of the North End of the island, and there is transportation to the one hotel on the island. Otherwise you should expect to walk or hike everywhere. When the Carnegie family lived here, they had little electric vehicles which were recharged for them every night.

But I was not sure that I could do the amount of walking involved to see the sights. Regular wheelchairs don't do well on non-paved surfaces - most of the 'roads' are just packed sand. I found on the internet that they had beach wheelchairs. So I made a reservation for one.

Beach wheelchair - Bob's picture

When we got to the island, I found that the reservation had gotten lost, but the ranger went to the administration building,

Ranger coming around the ice house

and brought me the beach wheelchair. It wasn't like a regular beach wheelchair because it had huge tires like those monster trucks. It was hard to get into as it was tall and tippy. I had to have help - someone had to hold the chair down so it didn't fall over when I got in or out of it. Had I been really disabled, I could not have managed it. I think they had the tires reversed.

It was also QUITE hard to push. You need to have someone really strong to do that.

The ranger guided tour of the Dungeness Historic District is conducted daily and begins at Dungeness Dock at approximately 10:00am and 12:45pm. Each tour lasts about an hour. Cumberland Island contains four major historic districts and 87 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was just a tour of one of the historic districts.

Avenue of Live Oaks hung with Spanish moss

We followed the ranger on her 1:00 tour. The Elderhostel people had their own guide. Bob pushed me down alleys of live oak hung with Spanish moss

The ranger told us that there have been three homes named Dungeness on Cumberland Island.

• James Oglethorpe built a hunting lodge here and he named it Dungeness.
• Cumberland Island was given to General Nathaniel Greene to repay the debts that he incurred in the Revolution. He and his wife built the second Dungeness - a four story tabby mansion on the site. His widow Catharine married Phineas Miller. This house was abandoned during the U.S. Civil War and burned in 1862.
• The third Dungeness

Approaching Dungeness ruins

Walking around Dungeness

Dungeness from the side

In 1880 the property was sold to General William George Mackay Davis, and in 1881 Davis Sold it to to Carnegie.
was built by Thomas M. Carnegie, brother of Andrew Carnegie. Lucy Carnegie died in 1916. 1920 was the last event in Dungeness. The Carnegies moved out of Dungeness in 1925.

What happens when you don't wear the right shoes

The ruins you see are NOT the result of a war or even neglect. In 1959, it was destroyed by fire, alleged to be arson.

From Dungeness to the entrance gates

Mistletoe in the top of the trees

In addition to the main Dungeness building, there were other ruins

Recreation building ruins

free standing chimney

tree stump and strange concrete blocks

Ruined building

We saw some of the wild horses, and also an armadillo.

Armadillo

Other than one armadillo that we saw, some birds, and the wild horses (and other tourists), most of the living things that we saw on our visit were plants.

Trees, vines and maybe a bird

The island has three major ecosystem regions. Along the western edge of the island there are large areas of salt marshes. The wild horses tend to overgraze those areas. Live oak trees covered with Spanish moss and the palmetto plants are at the edge of Cumberland's dense maritime forest.

Live oaks with Spanish Moss

Fungus on tree trunk

The island is home to many native animals. There are white-tailed deer, squirrels, raccoons, nine-banded armadillos, wild boars, and alligators. It is also famous for its wild horses roaming free on the island.

Grazing horse

Wild horses seem to live on remote barrier islands like Assateague and Cumberland. The ranger told us that they asked people what they should do with the feral animals on the island which included pigs, cows and horses. People had no problem with them getting rid of the wild boars and the cattle, but wanted the horses left alone.

Feral horses

So - they are left alone. Nothing is done for the horses - unlike Assateague or Chincoteague where they are rounded up and the herd culled and given shots and medical care, nothing is done for these horses. They aren't fed or vaccinated - they don't have their hooves trimmed and they aren't wormed.

on the Dungeness lawn

They are wild and they are on their own. The ones up by the old ruins are in the best shape because they have access to fresh water

The one ecosystem that we didn't see on this visit was the beach, which stretches over 17 miles

Horses on the beach from our boat in the ICW in 2001

We went past what looked like an auto graveyard with several Plymouths in it disintegrating into piles of rust.

Auto "graveyard"

Piles of rust

Then we got to a real graveyard - the Greene-Miller cemetery.

Iron entrance gate in the wall

The wheelchair wouldn't go into it so I got out of the wheelchair and took some pictures

Bob with the wheelchair

There are several cemeteries on Cumberland island and some contain gravestones for people who were initially buried there and then moved. Two of my interests are lighthouses and cemeteries. There is a lighthouse on Little Cumberland Island but you an only see it from the south end of Jekyll Island. In the 1970s we lived in a community called Greene in RI which was named after the General Nathanael Greene, so I was interested to learn about his connection to Cumberland Island.

Greene-Miller cemetery

The Greene-Miller Cemetery, named for the family of General Greene and Phineas Miller is east of the house and includes the graves of Catherine Green Miller, her daughter Louisa Shaw, and her husband James. Also in the cemetery are the graves of two of General William Davis' family. One was his grandson George who was accidentally shot by Bernard, his father, at about age five. And the other was General Davis' son Bernard who died shortly after the accident.

Memorial stone for Charles Jackson Esq

Also in the cemetery are two gravestones for Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee the father of Robert E. Lee which explain that he was buried there

Harry Lee's original burial place

Explanation of why he is no longer here

and then moved. In the strife that led up to the War of 1812, Lee was injured while trying to protect a friend from rioters in Baltimore, Maryland, receiving wounds from which he never recovered. He died at Dungeness, on Cumberland Island, and was buried there. Lee was re-interred at the Lee Chapel Museum in Lexington in 1913.

Wall around cemetery

Outside the main cemetery are the graves of John and Catherine Rikart.

Catherine Rinehart died 1911

The inscription on Catherine's grave says "Erected by the family of Thomas M. Carnegie in affectionate memory of faithful and loyal service During many years."

On the way back, several people helped Bob push the wheelchair. After we got back to the dock area,

Dock on Cumberland

Bob turned in the wheelchair (which was QUITE hard to push) and we looked in the little museum in the old Ice House.

Cooling Room door

Ice house explanation

There was a small cooling room with posters about water and ice.

Cooling Room posters

The main part of the museum started with section called

• Hunting and Gathering (Time of the Timucuans) which was about the Indians prior to Europeans colonizing the area.

Hunting and Gathering (Time of the Timucuans)

The next section talks about

• Agricultural (Plantation Era)

Agricultural Era

when the Revolutionary War hero General Nathaniel Greene and his wife Catherine (Caty) Greene settled here and built the second Dungeness. They were joined at Cumberland Island by Eli Whitney. Eli and Nathaniel tried unsuccessfully to market the cotton gin. The third main section was

• The Gilded Age in the latter part of the 19th. century

The Gilded Age

when Thomas and Lucy Carnegie bought extensively on the island. The Carnegie's built the present Dungeness on the ruins of the Greene-Miller Dungeness.

Pictures of the houses in the icehouse/museum

There is another room of the museum which contains a series of displays about the War of 1812. I didn't get any photos there.

Then we sat around and waited for the afternoon boat

Park Service administration building

If you didn't eat your lunch on the boat, there are plenty of picnic tables.

Picnic tables under the live oak trees

Behind Bob

and I lay on one of the picnic table benches and looked up at the Spanish moss

Lying on a picnic table bench and looking up

and took a little nap

Salt marshes ecosystem on the western edge of the island

And talked to people. There was a lady there who used to teach 5th grade and then had a brain aneurysm and had a problem with vision and also walking and speech. She was there with her husband and nephew who was in 8th grade. He was a cheerful boy, but a typical 8th grader. He went down on the 'beach' near the landing dock and got all muddy.

Muddy Beach on the western side

Across at the mainland

There was a tall masted ship from CT with a crew of school girls and they also were using the boat landing.

Ship anchored off Cumberland Island

Girls from the tall ship waiting for their ride

Dock with small NPS boats

The ferry went to the Sea Base dock first

Ferry at Sea Base dock

Sitting in the shelter on the dock

My shadow on the sand at the dock

Ferry coming for us

We sat inside on the trip back to St. Mary's.

Back to St. Mary's

After we got back, we went to Captain Seagle's Restaurant - the hotel restaurant for dinner

Inside of the restaurant

and as I said they were totally backlogged. They didn't have enough waitresses and the restaurant manager was having to do some of the cooking as some of the cooks didn't come in. So we had a long wait to get something to eat.Bob had

Bob's shrimp cocktail $7.00

which he said was good, and a chicken tender basket.

I asked for

Brandon's Rock Shrimp Dip $7.00

which was a mistake. They were out of it and that was what took all the time. And when I got it there was very little shrimp (I wanted to see what a Rock Shrimp looked like) and it tasted mostly of mayonnaise. I also had

A salad

and Key Lime pie ice cream.The Key Lime Pie ice cream was good.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Tomorrow we head for Fort Pierce