Jekyll Island History

Jekyll Island History

Located on the east coast of Georgia, Jekyll Island was first visited and sighted by Spanish colonists who established missions on all the coastal regions of both Florida and Georgia but not on this island. Although the mission established on the near by Saint Simons Island influenced Jekyll.

It is believed that prior to the British, only Native Americans tribes were around the zone until 1733 when General James Oglethorpe established Georgia as a British colony, and shortly after Jekyll Island was named in honor of the General's friend Sir Joseph Jekyll.

The first English establishment occurred in the late 1730s when General Oglethorpe appointed William Horton to set up a military post on Jekyll Island to protect Fort Frederica, established on Saint Simons Island. Horton setup his permanent residence near what is now called DuBignon Creek.

Horton established a prosperous plantation within his property in 1738, a plantation that supplied the population at Frederica with corn and beef. This property was improved throughout the years and even after its destruction in 1742 during Spanish attacks when Horton rebuilt his home.

Before his death around 1748-1749, William Horton continued working on his plantation and experimenting with new crops including indigo and barley. After his death, the plantation passed through many working men’s hands, until the 19th century when the family of Christopher Poulain du Bignon, a French aristocrat, became the owner of the entire island.

Du Bignon and his family arrived to the United States in 1792 after escaping from the French Revolution, which was devastating provincial families and Jekyll Island, gave them the opportunity to get their very own prosperous plantation. Du Bignon grew cotton as the main crop, introducing slavery to the island. Christopher du Bignon died in 1825 and the plantation’s ownership passed on to his son Henri Charles.

Under the administration of Henri Charles du Bignon, the plantation prospered up through the 1850 census. Henri became Colonel and the patriarch of the family. Today all the du Bignon descendants, both white and black, trace their lineage to him. Henri Charles du Bignon had numerous extramarital affairs and fathered no less than twenty children.

Henri moved to Brunswick after his second marriage in 1852, as his children also did to the mainland in order to establish their homes or careers, although the plantation continued being developed. In 1858, the ship The Wanderer landed on Jekyll Island with 465 African slaves, the last shipment of slaves to Georgia soil after their importation of slaves to the United States became illegal in the early 1800s.

A great decline in the productivity was observed on Jekyll Island during 1860. Two years later Union Army troops arrived, marking the beginning of the American Civil War. The du Bignon family left the island and the plantation deserted until the war ended. The du Bignons returned to Jekyll Island in 1863 and Henri Charles divided the island among the three surviving sons of his first marriage, and his one unmarried daughter.

Colonel Henri Charles Poulain du Bignon died in 1866 closing a symbolic era. In the late 1870s, John Eugene du Bignon became owner of the property on the island after purchasing parcels between 1879 and 1885. John Eugene was the son of Joseph du Bignon, one of Henri's sons, which died before Jekyll was divided among his uncles and aunt, so he had no right to claim it.

John Eugene associated with his brother-in-law Newton Finney, organized a hunting club in 1885. Finney used his contacts in New York to attract investors among the wealthy elite, such as and William K. Vanderbilt, J. P. Morgan, John Jacob Astor, and Joseph Pulitzer, forming the Jekyll Island Club, purchased from the Du Bignons for $125,000.

John Eugene du Bignon became the only local member of the club, and his modest home on the island is considered today one of the most elegant cottages built by millionaires. The Jekyll Island Club was a family oriented resort that encouraged women to enjoy themselves camping out, horseback riding, or going hunting.

In fact, during its early stage, the club was basically a hunting recreational resort, but eventually the club grew and other recreations were added, becoming more popular, with golf as the dominant sport. Leisure at the Jekyll Island Club included biking, tennis, and carriage driving. In the 1920s, an Oceanside golf course was built, which a portion can still be played today.

The decline and closure of the club came with the Great Depression in 1929, touching everything across the nation, including the very wealthy, dropping their memberships through the 1930s. In 1942 after World War II, the club opened again but shortly after announced its closure. Finally, on October 7, 1947, the state of Georgia purchased Jekyll Island to open it as a state public park.