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Georgia’s
Barrier Islands are great, even
without your RV
Cumberland
Island National Seashore rests along
the Atlantic Coast of Georgia where
great barrier islands protect the
mainland and shelter the Intracoastal
Waterway. Inaccessible by RV or
automobile, the seashore is 17.5
miles long and totals 36,415 acres,
of which 16,850 are marsh, mud flats
and tidal creeks. It is well known
for its sea turtles, wild turkeys,
wild horses, armadillos, abundant
shore birds, dune fields, maritime
forests, salt marshes and historic
structures. Visit Cumberland Island
National Seashore for a natural
experience—sun and sand, beautiful
vistas and relaxing atmosphere.
But be prepared. All supplies, including
food and water, must be brought
along when visiting. The remoteness
and visitor restrictions make this
a unique place to visit.
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Cumberland
Island Beach was voted
one of the ten best
in the U.S.
(All
photos, courtesy Greyfield
Inn, www.greyfieldinn.com,
866-410-8051.)
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Cumberland
Island National Seashore is one
of the oldest barrier islands on
the Atlantic Coast. With a land
mass larger than Manhattan, the
rich soil and numerous ecosystems
provide a diverse habitat of saltwater
marshes, estuaries, fresh water
ponds, forests of moss cover oak,
massive dunes and clean sand beaches
that provide critical habitat to
loggerhead turtles and other marine
animals.
Cumberland
Island National Seashore has a rich
history that is as fascinating as
the natural wonder of the island.
Archeological studies indicate that
Native Americans inhabited the island
over 4,000 years ago. When European
settlers arrived, there were at
least seven Native American villages
on the island. Their shell mounds
can still be found today and provide
scientists with a unique view of
early life on the island. In
1566, Spanish explorers arrived
on Cumberland Island, naming it
San Pedro and building several forts
and missions through 1670. There
are no obvious traces of early Spanish
habitation on the island, which
was abandoned in 1724.
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An
aerial view of the
Greyfield
Inn compound.
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The
main road on the Island, “Interstate
O”
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San
Pedro Island was renamed Cumberland
Island by General James Oglethorpe
in honor of William Augustus, Duke
of Cumberland in England. The English
built a series of forts on Cumberland
Island, including Fort William on
the southern tip and Fort Saint
Andrews. After the Battle of Bloody
Marsh in 1742, the threat of Spanish
attacks on English settlements to
the north was neutralized. The forts
and settlements were abandoned,
and by 1775, the island was practically
uninhabited.
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The
Greyfield Inn c.
1901, and today.
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During
the late 18th Century, the island’s
oak and pine were cut for shipbuilding,
and fields of corn, cotton, rice
and indigo were planted in the rich
soil. Cattle, hogs and horses were
introduced and were allowed to roam
freely on the island. Some of the
most productive plantations in the
southern United States were located
on Cumberland.
At
the end of the Civil War, the plantation
economy of the south was in ruins.
Although Union troops moved most
of the freed slaves to Amelia Island
in Florida, a group stayed behind
and formed a settlement on the northern
tip of Cumberland near Burbank Point.
Cumberland Island was once again
almost completely abandoned.
In
1880, Thomas Carnegie bought most
of Cumberland and built the largest
mansion ever to be located on the
island. The 59-room Scottish castle—complete
with turrets, a pool house, 40 outbuildings,
golf course, acres of manicured
gardens and a squash court—must
have looked incredibly out of place
on the Georgia coast. The mansion
was used as a retreat through 1959
when it burned to the ground. Several
other buildings, including Plum
Orchard mansion and Greyfield, built
in 1900, are still standing and
in use today. Greyfield, a grand
and graceful mansion, was built
as a home for Lucy and Thomas Carnegie's
daughter, Margaret Ricketson. In
1962, Margaret’s daughter Lucy R.
Ferguson and her family opened it
as the Greyfield Inn Resort.
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Horses
run wild today on
Cumberland
Island.
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In
addition to wild horses, the island
is also populated deer, bobcat,
boar, turkeys, armadillos and more
than 300 species of birds.
In
1969, Hilton Head developer Charles
Fraser envisioned a copy of the
South Carolina resort on Cumberland
Island. When construction of a 5,000-foot-long
airstrip began, a massive movement
to save the island started. In 1972,
the Carnegie family and Mellon Foundation—working
in close cooperation with environmentalists
and the federal government—bought
most of the private land on the
island and donated it to the National
Park Service. Cumberland Island
National Seashore was born.
No
food or drinks are available on
the island. Restrooms and water
fountains are the only services
provided. Visitors should bring
sunscreen, insect repellant, comfortable
clothing and shoes, as well as a
hat. Interpretive programs are conducted
each day upon ferry arrival and
at 4 p.m. at the Sea Camp Ranger
Station on the island. Bike rentals
are available on the island, but
no other equipment is available.
Cumberland
Island is located seven miles east
of St. Marys, Georgia, and is accessible
by a concession-operated passenger
ferry. Reservations are recommended.
The ferry does not transport pets,
bicycles, kayaks or cars. Charter
services are available through the
National Park Service concessionaire.
Back
country camping and “sea camping”
is available on Cumberland Island
all year long. All camping is limited
to seven days. Backcountry sites
are $2 per person per night; Sea
Camp Campground is $4 per person
per night. There are no facilities
in the backcountry sites, and water
should be treated. Campfires are
not permitted in the backcountry,
and portable stoves are suggested.
The four backcountry sites range
from 3.5 to 10.8 miles from the
ferry dock. The developed campground
at Sea Camp Beach has restrooms,
cold showers and drinking water.
Each campsite has a grill, fire
ring, food cage and picnic table.
Reservations are required and can
be made up to six months in advance.
An additional day use\ferry fee
is also required.
Tours
to the Plum Orchard Mansion are
conducted the second and fourth
Sunday of each month. Access to
Plum Orchard is by ferry, departing
the Sea Camp dock at 12:45 p.m.
and returning to Sea Camp at 4:15
p.m. The cost of the additional
ferry trip to Plum Orchard is $6
per person.
Today
almost 2,000 acres of Cumberland
remain in private hands and could
be developed. Debates continue on
whether to build a causeway to increase
visitation, and the Department of
Interior has been under tremendous
pressure to allow easier access
to the park. Trash disposal and
vehicle use are also major problems,
as well as damaged caused by feral
pigs and horses that still roam
the island.
For
boat reservations and information
about traveling to Cumberland Island,
call 912-882-4335, Monday through
Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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