Georgia Natural Wonder #3 - Jekyll Island Forest. 552

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #3 Jekyll Island Forest

The first list of natural wonders was compiled by the state librarian, Ella May Thornton, in response to an inquiry by a journalist. Her list, which appeared in the Atlanta Georgian magazine on December 26, 1926, included Stone Mountain, Okefenokee Swamp, Amicalola Falls, Tallulah Gorge, Warm Springs, Jekyll Island Forest, and the marble vein in Longswamp Valley in Pickens County. Thornton acknowledged that some items on her list were arguable and "there are a number of others of equal rank." Two that she selected and that the Atlanta Georgian described—Jekyll Island Forest ("wild life flourishes there almost as it did before the white men came") and marble deposits in Pickens County ("the largest single vein of marble known to the world")—have not made recent lists.



Georgia’s melange of peaceful, hauntingly beautiful barrier islands: Tybee, Wassaw, Ossabaw, St. Catherines, Sapelo, Wolf, Little St. Simons, Sea Island, St. Simons, Jekyll, Little Cumberland and Cumberland, is sometimes deemed the seventh Wonder, replacing Radium Springs, but perhaps each is far too naturally significant on its own, or, possibly the archipelago covers too much land area to be considered as a singular wonder.


Cumberland should be one of the top seven.

Jekyll island was much like Cumberland Island back when the millionaires ruled the Island and it was only reached by boat. Outside the club it was wild and remote. Game was stocked on the island for the original hunting club. In 1926 this was probably spectacular to a visiting librarian. But since the state took over and built the causeway, they have developed condominiums, timeshares, hotels, convention center, retail center in the maritime forest just west of Beachview Drive, an area designated as a “Nature Preserve” in the Jekyll Island Authority’s 1996 Master Plan.



Not only does this development lead to destruction of hundreds of live oak trees along the eastern edge of this magnificent forest, it also means obliteration of a unique plant community just to make room for shopping centers, miniature golf, and parking lots. Georgia is at a critical crossroad. The preservation of our state’s priceless natural resources and the provision of accessible and affordable public outdoor recreation opportunities are now, more than ever, important responsibilities that we – as a state and as a society – must forthrightly address.



Jekyll Island was purchased in 1886 by a group of wealthy families as a private retreat. By 1900, Jekyll Island Club membership included the Rockefellers, Morgans, and Goulds and represented over one-sixth of the world’s wealth. The Club closed in 1942 and Jekyll Island was purchased by the State of Georgia in 1947.In the gilded-age time of a century ago, the country’s rich journeyed to places like Saratoga, New York, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and, of course, to Jekyll Island, Georgia.



The Club, a National Historic Landmark and a get-away for the nation’s elite, was the site of events and meetings of historic significance, including the first transcontinental phone call that was initiated in 1915 from the island to Theodore Vail, then president of AT&T.





A quote from the Brunswick News on January 30, 1917, tells us that “Mr. Rockefeller never feels as well as when he’s enjoying the secluded and exclusive life that only this Paradise on Earth affords.”



Jekyll Island Club is a full-service, destination resort and while its backdrop is historic, its comforts are modern and lush. Checking in, you notice the sepia photographs of Vincent Astor, William Vanderbilt, Marshall Field, and others that line the halls – fond memories of members of yore. The Clubhouse, American Queen Ann in architectural style as well as the collection of adjacent structures, have been splendidly restored and are on Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List and named one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations. The storied history of the Club has at its heart the Grand Dining Room.



A venue of both social and historic significance, the restaurant has welcomed titans of industry and stars of both stage and screen.



There’s the Clubhouse adorned with turrets, bay windows, verandas.



There are views of rolling green lawns, the Inter coastal Waterway and vast marshlands.



Tiffany Glass in the Chapel.



Croquet on the Clubhouse Lawn.



Gilded age of America.



Grandeur lingers today.



Additionally, there’s lodging at the Annex, Sans Souci.


Building the Sans Souci.

As for the natural wonder of the forest, this is a magnolia–live oak forest canopy on one of Georgia’s barrier islands that has a forest floor mostly of palmetto and scrub oak. Some of the largest live oaks are found in the Jekyll Island Club historic district.



Jekyll Island spans just 5,700 acres, which makes it the state’s smallest barrier island. Parts of the island have been developed, but other parts are still wonderfully wild. On the western side of the island, you’ll find Jekyll Creek and a salt marsh, while the eastern part of the island has a beach that touches the Atlantic Ocean. Jekyll Island is also home to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, which offers tours for visitors and conducts research about the endangered turtle population.



There are 4 golf courses and 63 holes on the Island.



The Jekyll Island State Park swamp is unique in that it contains as dominant plants tall, aged red maples forming the canopy, and beds of two species of chain ferns on the swamp floor. Some of the red maples are three feet in diameter at breast height, and some 40 feet tall!



Tidelands Nature Center is a part of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Georgia 4-H Program, and offers marine science based educational programs to individuals and groups visiting Jekyll Island. Clam Creek to Driftwood Beach Walk. Starts at the North end of Jekyll Island, at Clam Creek Picnic Area.



Enjoy the beach environment, and check out all those driftwood trees.



St. Andrews Point and Beach Creek walk. This walk explores the maritime forest and the beach of St. Andrews Point. Folks have a chance to climb the wildlife observation tower for great marsh views.



South Dunes Picnic Area - Meet at South Dunes Picnic Area. Walk across the boardwalk, and explore the beach and dune communities.



Kayak tours concentrate on Jekyll Island's salt marshes. egrets, storks, and herons, pelicans and terns. Keep an eagle eye out for eagles and ospreys. Another feathered prize - the elusive marsh hen. Or crustaceans - crabs are everywhere. I'm always on the look out for dolphins.



These started out as just a Woof to Uncle John. I missed a serious two part history tangent. There's always edit down the road.



I have no idea if these GNW gals are at Jekyll Island beach or not, couldn't scroll past. What beach?