Jekyll Island II
14 December 2010
Bob
The pictures posted in the photo gallery under Jekyll Island Club title are another aspect of the Jekyll Island that makes Jekyll Island a fascinating spot to visit. On the one hand there is a magnificent and well cared for maritime forest that occupies a significant core portion of the island and is accessible only by manicured paths. But the Island gained its fame as a late 19th century enclave for a few of the most unconscionably wealthy American of that time: gilded denizens of Wall St. whose rapine grasp of America's resources had festooned them with uncountable wealth.
For fifty years a small group of these men (by invitation only) and their families built houses, a hotel and all the accoutrements in between as a winter playground on a private island and a respite from both the wintry weather and the unceasing curiosity of the press.
The island was purchased in 1948 by the state of Georgia to make it available to all. More recently the buildings that formed the Club have been undergoing an incredible restoration and are now open to the public. The buildings are sited on a beautiful campus that is incredibly landscaped and cared for.
There is a museum on site which reveals a detailed record of the amazing era at the island.
Tomorrow Puffin will head for Florida, a mere 30 miles away, and perhaps some warmer temperatures.