Introduction

by Ed Jackson

 

 

In many ways, Cumberland Island is the crown jewel of Georgia's barrier islands. It is not the largest of the islands (when counting both land and tidal marshes)--but it is the largest in terms of continuously exposed land area. It certainly is not the most visited island, as the National Park Service limits how many humans can be on the island at any one time. Most people who come are campers or day visitors. Still, Cumberland Island is a unique treasure--not just for Georgia but the entire nation.

 

In terms of ecosystems, Cumberland Island has three major regions. Arriving by ferry, you see large areas of saltwater marshes along the western edge of the island. At low tide, these marshes appear to swell the size of the island. Also immediately noticeable are the gnarled live oak trees covered with Spanish moss and the palmetto plants along the ground that mark the edge of Cumberland's dense maritime forest. Of course, Cumberland Island's most famous ecosystem is its beach, which stretches over 17 miles from Long Point on the north to the southern tip opposite Florida's Amelia Island. Along this long, uninterrupted stretch of white sand you will find horses, birds, and other wildlife. But what makes this area very special to environmentalists is that it's a nesting area for loggerhead sea turtles.

 

 

Cumberland Island is really two islands--the island proper and Little Cumberland Island--connected by a marsh. Little Cumberland is privately owned and not generally open to the public. Historically, Cumberland Island was in private hands, but large areas were deeded to the National Parks Foundation by members or heirs of the Carnegie family in 1971. Other lands in private ownership were purchased with funds provided the Mellon Foundation and Congress, and in 1972 Cumberland Island was designated a national seashore. A small number of people--principally descendants of property owners--still have houses on the western and northern regions of the island, though only a very few people actually live year-round on the island. Many, however, have sold their property to the National Park Service (NPS), which in turn leases the property back to the former landowners during their lifetime. Eventually, the property will revert to the Park Service and become part of the national seashore.

 

Relatively few Georgians get to visit Cumberland Island. The Park Service limits the number of tourists and campers to 300 per day. Campers, moreover, are restricted to a 7-day stay. There is one private facility--Greyfield Inn--for those who desire luxurious overnight accommodations, but it only has a limited number of rooms.

 

Transportation is another problem for visitors to Cumberland Island. You have to ride a ferry (which makes two trips a day) or make other arrangements to get out to the island. Unless you own or lease property, you cannot bring a vehicle onto the island. There are no buses or vans on the island (except a van used by the Greyfield Inn to transport its guests and NPS vehicles). Visitors are not even allowed to bring a bicycle (though the Greyfield has some for its guests). Even if you had a vehicle, all roads and trails are dirt--and some very rough. So, essentially, most visitors to Cumberland Island have to walk everywhere they go.

 

At its greatest width, Cumberland Island is less than six miles in width, but some areas of the southern end are less than one mile across. At the Sea Camp dock, it's just over one-half mile to the Atlantic beach--so hiking on the southern end is not a problem. However, the island's eastern seashore is 17.5 miles of continuous beach. While the main camping area at Sea Camp Beach has running water and bathrooms with cold showers, the other camping sites have no facilities. There are no stores of any type on Cumberland Island, which means all food, ice, and supplies have to be shipped in by boat. Of course, during the summer, there are bugs and the heat to contend with. As a result, the great majority of visitors coming to Cumberland never get a chance to see the entire island--particularly the northern end.

 

In May of 2001, I was fortunate to spend four days on Cumberland Island at the home of Sonja Olsen Kinard. Her father had worked for the Candlers, who had given him land. Here, he built a house in the early 1960s, which the Olsen children inherited after his death. They have since sold their property to the National Park Service but have the right to continue leasing the house and land throughout their lifetime.

 

Sonja lives in Brunswick but frequently visits the old family home, which is located on the north end of the island at Half Moon Bluff on the edge of the marsh that separates Cumberland from Little Cumberland islands. Because Sonja had a Jeep, I had an opportunity to see all areas of the island--something few visitors get to do. But perhaps most interesting was hearing about the island from someone who has a personal knowledge of it. Sonja remembers the Carnegies, Candlers, Rockefellers, and other famous people who had homes on the island. Incidentally, in 1999 Sonja and her late sister, Thora Olsen Kimsey, compiled Memories from The Marshes of Glynn: World War II, which is a very interesting history of what the Glynn County area was like during the Second World War based on interviews with people who were living then and extensively illustrated with photographs from the time. (For information on obtaining a copy of Sonja's book, send her an e-mail).

 

Because of this rare opportunity, I took extensive photographs and have incorporated them into this Cumberland Island Photo Gallery so that all Georgians will have an opportunity to see and appreciate the special beauty and uniqueness of the island. Again, I want to thank Sonja Olsen Kinard for her kindness and invaluable assistance in making this possible.

 

Ed Jackson

Senior Public Service Associate

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

University of Georgia

 

 

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