Here is a brief history of the Island: The island has been inhabited for more than 3500 years. The earliest inhabitants were Native Americans, but the first permanent settlers were British Colonists. They gave it the name Jekyll in honor of Sir Joseph Jekyll, a financial backer of the young colony. It was then purchased by a Frenchman, and one of his descendants later turned the island into a private hunting club for some of the nation’s wealthiest individuals. Six years later it was purchased by the Jekyll Island Club and was called the richest and most inaccessible club in the world. It became an exclusive retreat for families with names like Rockefeller, Morgan and Vanderbilt. They built the elegant clubhouse and Victorian cottages known as Millionaire's Village. Many important things occurred on the island over the years, but we think the following events are especially interesting. A ten day secret meeting was held on Jekyll in 1910 to create a central banking system which became the Federal Reserve System. And in 1915 the first transcontinental telephone call was made in the U.S. The following sentence is from Jekyll Island History written by Jekyll Island Authority. “Presiding over the ceremonies by telephone were President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, DC, Alexander Graham Bell in New York, Thomas Watson in San Francisco, Henry Higginson in Boston, and AT&T President Theodore Newton Vail on Jekyll Island, GA.” When the Great Depression and WWII changed people’s priorities the island sat empty. In the late 40’s the state purchased it from the Jekyll Island Club for $675,000. It was made part of the GA State Park System and open to the public for free. Soon they learned how expensive it was to maintain the island and asked the governor to develop it into a resort to pay for itself. Jekyll is still owned by the state, but it’s run by a self-sustaining, self-governing body. Although there is an $8 fee to visit, we feel it’s worth every penny! No more than 35% of the island can be developed! But there are plenty of attractions such as the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, a museum, a waterpark, a convention center, and four golf courses. There is also a state park campground! |
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