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88-522: The Jekyll Island Club was a private club on Jekyll Island , on Georgia 's Atlantic coast. It was founded in 1886 when members of an incorporated hunting and recreational club purchased the island for $ 125,000 (about $ 3.1 million in 2017) from John Eugene du Bignon. The original design of the Jekyll Island Clubhouse, with its signature turret, was completed in January 1888. The club thrived through

176-430: A mixed-use public Beach Village to increase the number and variety of attractions nearby. These will be oriented to pedestrian uses: an area for new retail shops and a public beach-side promenade. By legislative mandate, sixty-five percent of the island is and will remain in a mostly natural state (including parks and picnic areas). A once-per-day toll has been charged for several decades to enter Jekyll Island. In 1985

264-566: A coastal building material using crushed oyster shells. The island was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was evacuated during World War II by order of the US government. In 1947 the state of Georgia acquired all the property, for security and preservation. A popular tourist destination , the island has beaches frequented by vacationers. Guided tours of the Landmark Historic District are available. Bike trails, walks along

352-404: A convict camp on the island in 1951. In an extension of the lease-convict system, compared to slavery in its abuses, the mostly African-American prisoners performed the manual labor needed to prepare the island for public use. They planted landscaping for drainage, dug and built the foundations of motels and neighborhoods, and built the perimeter road. From September 1951 to December 1954, the island

440-430: A full week under such rigid secrecy that the names of not one of them was once mentioned, lest the servants learn the identity and disclose to the world this strangest, most secret expedition in the history of American finance. I am not romancing; I am giving to the world, for the first time, the real story of how the famous Aldrich currency report, the foundation of our new currency system, was written ... The utmost secrecy

528-404: A limit of 100 members was imposed to preserve the club's exclusivity. From 1888 to 1942 the club opened every January for the winter season, except a few years when there were yellow fever outbreaks . It accommodated some of the world's wealthiest people. Members and their families enjoyed activities such as biking, hunting, horseback riding, and tennis, and frequented the north beaches. Some of

616-676: A reporter announced finding wreckage in mud in the Mobile River, which a team of archeologists had affirmed may be the ruins of the Clotilda . The Wanderer was built in Setauket, New York as a pleasure boat, but it was acquired by Southerners who opposed the prohibition on the Atlantic slave trade. They had it converted in the Congo and Angola to carry slaves, and the captain purchased more than 500 to take to

704-457: A two-winged structure that contains numerous suites for rental. The presidential suite contains the three-story turret on the front of the building. Thirty-three buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries surround the hotel; many are the elaborate mansion-sized "cottages" built by the rich. Some cottages offer rooms for rent for temporary stays. Others have been adapted for use as museums, art galleries, or bookstores. The hotel

792-405: Is humid subtropical , with rainfall concentrated in the hottest months. The north end of the island is the main area that has been affected by human development over the past few hundred years. Early settlers and the loggers who came afterwards developed plantations in this area. They used fallen trees for the construction of ships. In the early 20th century, much of what was considered wilderness

880-482: Is a 12-foot (3.7 m)-tall steel sculpture of ship sails, intended to signify the harsh, hard nature of slavery. In the midsection of the intercoastal side of the island is a designated 240-acre (0.97 km ) Historic District. This includes most of the buildings erected during the Jekyll Island Club era. They have been carefully preserved. The centerpiece of the grounds is the large Jekyll Island Club Hotel,

968-610: Is a picnic area on the intercoastal side of the island, facing the marsh and mainland. It is the farthest point on the beach from Clam Creek. This beach is very popular with fishing birds. Dolphins frequently feed here and travel through the area; they are visible when surfacing for air. In 2008, the Jekyll Island History Museum, the Jekyll Island Authority, and the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island commemorated

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1056-677: Is known to have been established on Jekyll; however, the Spanish influenced the island from their mission on St. Simons Island . After the Westo invasion on the mainland, they began destroying the missions and slaying the Spanish priests, traveling south along the coast. They spared Father Xander Davilla on Jekyll, keeping him as a slave. (He was later released to the Spanish in a prisoner exchange). In 1663–65, England established grants to land stretching southward from their Jamestown colony to an area below St. Augustine, Florida . The English allied with

1144-541: Is listed in the National Register of Historic Places . The historic district itself has been listed as a National Historic Landmark District since 1978. Tram tours originate from the Jekyll Island Museum located on Stable Road directly across from the historic district. They run several times daily and guides describe much of the history of this area. In the mid-2nd millennium, the island now known as Jekyll

1232-514: Is now called DuBignon Creek. At his residence, Horton established a plantation that was able to supply the population at Frederica with beef and corn; he depended on the labor of enslaved African Americans. Horton continued to develop his property on Jekyll Island. In 1742 his house was destroyed during Spanish attacks, but he had it rebuilt. He developed the cultivation of new experimental crops on his plantation, including barley and indigo . Horton had his house and outbuildings reconstructed after

1320-573: Is still intact, and can be played. Other leisure activities included carriage driving, tennis , and bicycling . Jekyll Island was the location of a meeting in November 1910 in which draft legislation was written to create a central banking system for the United States. Following the Panic of 1907 , banking reform became a major issue in the United States. Senator Nelson Aldrich ( R - RI ), chairman of

1408-465: Is tidal marshlands , mostly on the island's western shore. The island measures about 7 miles (11 km) long by 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide, has 8 miles (13 km) of wide, flat beaches on its east shore with sand packed hard enough for easy walking or biking, and boasts 20 miles (32 km) of hiking trails. Like the other Golden Isles, Jekyll is mostly made of older Pleistocene land mass and smaller sections of younger Holocene land. The climate

1496-503: The Cherokee people , Creek people , and Yuchi tribes. They armed the warriors, ordering them to raid the Spanish and Muskogean settlements on Jekyll in 1681–83. By 1702, the English had driven the Spanish from the entire area. General James Oglethorpe established Georgia as a colony in 1733. He renamed the island in honor of his friend Joseph Jekyll , who had contributed £600 towards

1584-600: The Federal Reserve Act . On the evening of November 22, 1910, Sen. Aldrich and A.P. Andrews (Assistant Secretary of the United States Treasury Department ), Paul Warburg (a naturalized German representing Kuhn, Loeb & Co. ), Frank A. Vanderlip (president of the National City Bank of New York), Henry P. Davison (senior partner of J. P. Morgan Company), Charles D. Norton (president of

1672-552: The Glynn county courts, becoming incorporated as the "Jekyl Island Club" on December 9, 1885. They agreed to sell 100 shares of the Jekyll Island Club stock to 50 people at $ 600 a share (about $ 15,000 in 2017). Finney had no difficulty selling the shares. Six of the first seven shares went to the men who signed the charter petition: Finney, Dubignon, King, Richard L. Ogden, William B. D'Wolf, and Charles L. Schlatter. In all, Finney

1760-748: The Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois , in the United States . Its membership has included many of Chicago's most prominent businessmen, politicians, and families. In the mid-1860s, a social group formed in Chicago, Illinois , that met on State Street . The group later met on the top floor of the old Portland Block on the southeast corner of Dearborn and Washington streets. Known as the "Dearborn Club", members would meet in afternoons to drink and play cards. Members included Western Union co-founder Anson Stager , former New York State Senator Henry R. Pierson , Judge of

1848-685: The National Monetary Commission in 1908. The Jekyll Island Club was a unique resort, more family-oriented than the Union Club or the Chicago Club . It enjoyed great popularity among the elite classes, maintaining a highly exclusive character for 60 years. When the club started out, hunting was a major recreational activity. A gamekeeper was hired to keep the island well-stocked with pheasants, turkeys, quail and deer. All members were to report daily what they had killed and turn it over to

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1936-508: The National Monetary Commission , went to Europe for almost two years to study that continent's banking systems. Upon his return, he brought together many of the country's leading financiers to Jekyll Island to discuss monetary policy and the banking system, drafting legislation which was introduced in Congress as the " Aldrich Plan ". Some ideas from the Aldrich Plan were later incorporated into

2024-463: The Panic of 1907 . They produced a plan for fifteen self-governing branches distributed over the country, overseen by a national commission that would coordinate policy. Aldrich later submitted this proposal to the National Monetary Commission without mentioning its origins, and a similar federated structure was included in the Federal Reserve Act . The Jekyll Island meeting was not disclosed until 1930, when Senator Carter Glass 's claim of credit for

2112-492: The Spanish–American War . The installation looked over St. Andrews Sound toward Little Cumberland. In the second half of the 20th century, homes and motels were built by the Jekyll Island Authority along the northern beaches of the island. The multiple parallel dunes on the southernmost tip are a result of sand from the eroding north beaches traveling southward and being deposited in a recurved spit . This picnic area on

2200-510: The 50 most beautiful small towns in America. The island was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census with a population of 866. Jekyll Island is one of only four Georgia barrier islands that has a paved causeway to allow access from the mainland by car. It has 5,700 acres (23 km ) of land, including 4,400 acres (18 km ) of solid earth and a 240-acre (0.97 km ) Jekyll Island Club Historic District. The rest

2288-538: The Authority completed the Georgia Sea Turtle Center . The Georgia Sea Turtle Center aims to rehabilitate and return to nature cold stunned and other wounded turtles, the primary species impacted by cold stunning is the critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle . Due to an increasing number of competitive sites, the island had suffered declining numbers of visitors since the late 20th century. In 2006,

2376-452: The Authority planned to revitalize the island. In 2007 it selected Linger Longer Communities LLC (through a competitive process) as its private partner to redevelop a portion of the Island. After a year of planning and hosting public forums throughout the state of Georgia, the Authority and Linger Longer developed a revitalization plan. It includes a renovated Convention Center, with construction of

2464-560: The Chicago Club is as private as a stately home in England, which it much resembles in décor. Indeed, few pedestrians passing by the eight-story red-granite clubhouse at Van Buren and Michigan even know what the place is. Club members – with such names as Field, Pullman, Lincoln, McCormick, and Blair – may have shaped Chicago history. But they also have developed a sense of privacy that politely but firmly excludes: 1) The entire world, except for

2552-703: The Cook County Court Hugh T. Dickey, President of the American Banker's Association Frank C. Rathje and dry goods merchant Philip Wadsworth . The Dearborn Club was shut down by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in 1868. In January 1869, former members of the Dearborn Club organized a meeting in the Sherman House. Although nothing was decided, a second meeting was scheduled, and there a resolution

2640-515: The Federal Reserve's structure prompted rebuttals from Warburg and other banking experts. Under the administration of Governor Melvin E. Thompson , the state of Georgia gained control of Jekyll Island on October 6, 1947, for $ 675,000. The island was initially managed as part of the State Park system. However, by 1950, as costs associated with getting the island ready for tourists began to mount,

2728-533: The Morgan-dominated First National Bank of New York), and Benjamin Strong (representing J. P. Morgan), together representing about one quarter of the world's wealth at the time, left Hoboken, New Jersey on a train in complete secrecy, dropping their last names in favor of first names, or code names, so no one would discover who they all were. The excuse for such powerful representatives and wealth

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2816-552: The State of Georgia bought the island. At the end of November 1910, Senator Nelson W. Aldrich and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury A. Piatt Andrew invited five of the country's leading financiers ( Frank Vanderlip , Henry P. Davison , Arthur Shelton , Benjamin Strong , and Paul Warburg ) to a private meeting at the Jekyll Island Club to develop recommendations for a central banking system that could respond to financial panics like

2904-433: The US. After a six-week voyage in which more than 100 slaves died, on November 28, 1858, The Wanderer anchored near the southern portion of Jekyll Island. Its crew took 409 to 465 enslaved Africans ashore, smuggling them to the mainland. News of the slave ship set off a wave of outrage. The federal government's effort to prosecute the conspirators was unsuccessful. A public art sculpture was commissioned for this site. It

2992-517: The attacks using the indigenous material, tabby . A mixture of lime, crushed oyster shells, and water, this strong building material has withstood the test of time throughout the Sea Islands. The external structure of William Horton’s two-story house, built from tabby, is one of two remaining two-story colonial-era structures in the state of Georgia. William Horton died in 1748–1749. His property on Jekyll passed through many hands until, just before

3080-442: The beaches and sandbars, and Summer Waves , a water park , are among the active attractions. The historic district features numerous impressive and ambitious buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The island is also full of wildlife , consisting of many different mammals, reptiles, and birds living and breeding in the island's inland salt marshes . In 2018, Architectural Digest named Jekyll Island one of

3168-460: The benefits that the founders enjoyed, and limited to a total of 150. This list includes many of the most notable members and is not exhaustive. Associate Members: (This class of membership was adopted in 1933) Jekyll Island Club Historic District is a National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) historic district and National Historic Landmark District in Glynn County , Georgia. Located on

3256-727: The board membership in the 1970s and 1980s. Now it consists of the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and eight citizens of the state. Some of the later construction projects have included the Soccer Complex, the Jekyll Island Tennis Center, gaining Historic District status and designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1978, and opening the Jekyll Island 4-H Center in 1983. Most recently,

3344-573: The club built its first permanent home on Monroe Street across from the Palmer House . In 1893, the club decided it needed larger quarters, and it purchased from the Art Institute of Chicago its former building on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Van Buren Street. This building has been put up in 1886-1887 and was designed by Burnham and Root to be the first home of the Institute, which moved across

3432-432: The club's 1,200 carefully selected members; 2) Until recently, women; and 3) Reporters and photographers. "We'll fight to the death on that one," growls one club board member ... How do you get in? Don't ask. How tough is it to join? In a word, very. Not only is there a long waiting list, but an applicant needs a sponsoring member, a seconder, lots of letters of support, and a good deal of patience. Most applicants test

3520-418: The club. The first president was Lloyd Aspinwall , vice president was Judge Henry Elias Howland, treasurer was Franklin M. Ketchum, and Richard L. Ogden became secretary. These men faced the difficult task of turning the undeveloped property into a social club for the wealthy upper class of America. Lloyd Aspinwall served just 5 months as the club president before he died suddenly. Henry Howland then took up

3608-495: The club. Wild game was a common sight on the menu of the clubhouse. A taxidermist shop was located within the club compound, specifically for mounting the prize game. As the club grew, other recreations became popular. Golf eventually took over as the club's dominant sport. The first course was located just to the north of the Club compound. Later, in the 1920s, an ocean side course was built. A portion of this historic golf course

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3696-710: The daily rate was $ 1, as of August 2009 it was $ 5, and later raised to $ 10, with an annual pass at $ 100. An annual pass may be purchased at the Guest Information Center before entering the island. Jekyll Island was first listed as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. Census . Scenes from the films X-Men: First Class , Glory , The Legend Of Bagger Vance , Jekyll Island , and The View from Pompey's Head have been filmed on Jekyll Island. On October 27, 2014, Red Zone Pictures filmed here for Magic Mike XXL (2015), starring Channing Tatum . In 2016, an episode for The Walking Dead Season 7

3784-502: The early 20th century; its members came from many of the world's wealthiest families, most notably the Morgans , Rockefellers , and Vanderbilts . The club closed at the end of the 1942 season due to complications from World War II. In 1947, after five years of funding a staff to keep up the lawn and cottages, the island was purchased from the club's remaining members for $ 675,000 (about $ 7.4 million in 2017) during condemnation proceedings by

3872-415: The end of the plantation era of Jekyll Island, Newton Finney, suggested to Dubignon, his brother-in-law, that they might acquire the island and then sell it to Northern businessmen as a winter resort. A New York banker helped with the purchase of the entire island. By 1885, Dubignon was the sole owner of Jekyll. In 1885, Finney and a New York associate, Oliver K. King, gathered a group of men and petitioned

3960-461: The enormous dunes to the beach. Access to this beach is by way of a long boardwalk. It was built in the mid-1980s by the producers of the film Glory , which was partially filmed here, and has been named for the film. The boardwalk, recently repaired, can be accessed from the soccer complex at the south end of the Jekyll Island. The boardwalk passes through a variety of natural habitats, ranging from ancient dunes to freshwater sloughs . St. Andrews

4048-462: The entrance to the Clam Creek picnic area is the campground, an 18-acre (73,000 m ) facility in a cleared maritime forest . The campground has running water for restrooms, showers, and laundry, as well as a store and bike rentals. The southern end of the island was virtually unused by settlers and visitors until the late 19th century, when the army installed a gun mount on the southern end during

4136-461: The executive committee arrived for the 1888 season on January 21. Several nationally important events took place on Jekyll Island during the Club era, including the first transcontinental telephone call made by Theodore N. Vail , president of AT&T , to Alexander Graham Bell , Thomas A. Watson and President Woodrow Wilson in 1915; and the development of the Aldrich–Vreeland Act for

4224-466: The founding of the colony. For many years, including the "Club Era", the island was spelled as "Jekyl". The Georgia legislature in 1929 passed legislation to correct the spelling to "Jekyll", as used by the former sponsor of the colony. In the late 1730s, General Oglethorpe appointed William Horton to set up a military post in the area to protect Fort Frederica on St Simon's Island. By 1738 Horton had set up permanent residence on Jekyll Island, near what

4312-479: The hotel some years later, and it currently operates as the Jekyll Island Club Resort. During the club's inception, a limit of 100 members was imposed to ensure the club's exclusiveness. During the financially difficult Great Depression period, the club began referring to its members as founders and created the new Associate Membership. This membership was purchased at a lower price, but with all of

4400-619: The island for France and renamed it as Ille de la Somme. Ribault later surrendered to the Spanish and was executed. The two countries engaged in competition and armed confrontations along the Georgia and Florida coasts. After his army swiftly defeated the French, Philip II of Spain immediately had a colony established on Jekyll. More brief conflicts between these two countries along the coastline followed. Spanish priests established missions intending to convert Native Americans to Christianity. No mission

4488-422: The island from his father and intended to build a house. Du Bignon purchased the rest of the island from his siblings, with the help of his brother-in-law Newton Finney and an investor. Their plan to market the island as a winter retreat for the wealthy came to fruition on February 17, 1886. They decided to construct a clubhouse which was completed in January 1888. Fifty-three members purchased shares for $ 600 each;

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4576-469: The island was taken out of the state park system. It was organized as a separate authority with the goal of its becoming self-sustaining, considered achievable because of its resources and attractions. The Jekyll Island Authority was created in February 1950 under the direction of Governor Herman Talmadge . It was designed to be a governing board. This board consisted of nine gubernatorial appointed members and

4664-624: The late 17th century the Guale and the Mocama were driven out of what is now Georgia by attacks from French pirates and from native allies of the English in the Province of Carolina . The survivors resettled in what is now Florida. The men used spears to take fish from the surrounding creeks. The women were experts on the native vegetation, gathering nuts and fruit. They made a type of tea from parched holly leaves. These settlers were said to also have cultivated

4752-418: The main entrance to the building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and continues as the club's headquarters today. The Chicago Club's by-laws specifically forbid working members of the press from entering the building. The one exception to this rule seems to have been in 1982 when a Chicago Tribune editor was able to obtain limited access. [T]he interior splendor of

4840-517: The markets had changed and the soil became exhausted. By 1862 when Union Army troops arrived, the Du Bignon plantation was completely deserted. After the American Civil War ended, the Du Bignon family returned to the island. Henri Charles divided the island among his four children. In 1875 John Eugene Du Bignon, a nephew, became owner of property on the island. He inherited the southern third of

4928-475: The next decade, the Authority directed development of motels, houses, the convention center, and a shopping center, as well as the towers at the entrance to the causeway. In the 1970s the Authority began renovating the historic cottages and club hotel in the historic district. During the 1980s, it supervised the construction of bike paths and the re-opening of the clubhouse in December 1987. The legislature reorganized

5016-431: The ocean side of the island features plenty of picnic tables, a full bathroom with showers, and a boardwalk to traverse the 20-foot (6.1 m)-high dune ridge to the beach. The dune is needed to protect the wooded area and interior of the island from erosion due to storms. This area was repaired in 1983, with bulldozers pushing new primary dunes into place to correct the damage caused by 30 years of beachgoers trampling over

5104-456: The past 100 years as an example of coastal Georgia building techniques; it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the state. Across the street from the Horton House ruin is the du Bignon cemetery, established by the next family to own the house and much of the island for generations. Its tabby wall surrounds the graves of five people who died in the 19th century. Just across the street from

5192-463: The picnic area to the North End Beach and Driftwood Beach. These beaches are characterized by another tidal creek emptying into St. Simons Sound and a boneyard of pine and water oak tree roots. The two-story house built from tabby in 1742 stands along N. Riverview Rd. The frame is intact, while the roof, doors, and windows are gone. Tabby was an indigenous material developed along the coast that

5280-401: The plantation continued to prosper, as evidenced by the 1850 census . On November 28, 1858, fifty years after the importation of slaves to the United States was prohibited, the ship The Wanderer landed on Jekyll Island with 465 slaves. This was the next-to-last successful shipment of slaves to American soil from Africa . By 1860, the plantations on Jekyll had declined in productivity, as

5368-451: The position as president of the club. Committees were formed to get the club off the ground. Charles A. Alexander of Chicago was chosen to design the clubhouse, and Horace William Shaler Cleveland , a famous landscape architect, was chosen to design and lay out the grounds. Ground was broken on the clubhouse building in mid-August 1886. After some setbacks the clubhouse was completed on November 1. The club officially opened its doors when

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5456-489: The public as a state park. Finally, on June 2, 1947, the state purchased the island through a condemnation order for $ 675,000 (or approximately $ 5,563,416 in 2003 dollars). The club was turned into a public resort by the state, but closed by 1971, a financial failure. It was made a historic landmark in 1978 and restored and reopened as the Radisson Jekyll Island Club Hotel in 1985. Radisson ceased managing

5544-554: The rest of the world, until they had evolved and compiled a scientific currency system for the United States, the real birth of the present Federal Reserve System, the plan done on Jekyll Island in the conference with Paul, Frank and Henry ... Warburg is the link that binds the Aldrich system and the present system together. He more than any one man has made the system possible as a working reality. The Great Depression in 1929 caused great changes on Jekyll Island. This depression touched even

5632-471: The season due to the club's financial situation and the strain the war had on the labor situation. The 1942 season would turn out to be the final season for the Jekyll Island Club. There was hope by the president that the Club might be reopened after the war with renewed interest. However, in 1946 the state of Georgia entered the picture. The state's revenue commissioner, Melvin E. Thompson , wanted to purchase one of Georgia's barrier islands and open it to

5720-529: The state capitol of Springfield . The club then rented the former Henry Farnam mansion on the corner of Michigan Avenue between Jackson and Adams Streets. The first meeting of the Chicago Club was held on May 1, 1869. The first clubhouse was destroyed by fire in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, so the club moved to 279 Michigan Avenue for two years, and then to the Gregg House at 476 Wabash Avenue. In 1876

5808-479: The state of Georgia. The state tried operating the club as a resort, but this was not financially successful, and the entire complex was closed by 1971. The complex was designated a historic landmark in 1978. It was restored and reopened as a luxury resort hotel in 1985. Jekyll Island Club Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America , the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation . At

5896-498: The street to its current location in 1892. This building remained the clubhouse until the 1920s, when it collapsed during remodelling. To replace it, Granger and Bollenbacher designed an eight-story granite building in the Romanesque Revival style , which was completed in 1929. During construction, Burnham & Root's triple-arched entrance was moved around the corner from Michigan Avenue to Van Buren Street, where it remains

5984-463: The survivors of the slave ship The Wanderer , the next to last ship documented to transport slaves to US territory in the prohibited Atlantic slave trade. Clotilda , out of Mobile, Alabama , brought in 110 slaves in July 1860, and is ranked last. Because the ship was burned and sunk, some observers thought accounts of its slave voyage was a hoax, but there is considerable documentation. In January 2018

6072-453: The three sisters: squash and pumpkins, beans, and corn (maize); as well as sunflowers and tobacco , which was used for many ritual purposes and celebrations. In 1510 explorers from Spain were the first to land at Jekyll Island, naming it Isla De Ballenas (Whale Island). Later Juan Ponce de León was appointed as the civil governor of this and Spain's other claimed North American territories. In 1562 French explorer Jean Ribault claimed

6160-484: The very wealthy across the country and membership in an exclusive club became an extravagance. Membership dropped slowly through the 1930s as the depression continued. With the financial situation of the club worsening, the executive committee decided to create a new level of club membership in 1933. A more affordable level of membership, the Associate membership was designed to fit the needs, and pocketbook, of anyone. It

6248-501: The waters first, so formal rejections are few. But not even the well-connected can breeze in ... Historians might argue that the Chicago Club no longer has the power it wielded in the days when its "millionaires' table" was the lunchtime gathering place of Marshall Field , George Pullman , N. K. Fairbank , John Crerar , and a half-dozen others, each worth millions in the days when that sum meant something. "Everything to be done in Chicago

6336-466: The wealthiest members built their own "cottages", mansion-sized residences that are mostly still standing in the 21st century. Even the wealthy endured financial losses during the Great Depression , and the club had financial difficulties. When the United States entered World War II , it ordered the island evacuated for security purposes, ending the era of the Jekyll Island Club. After the war in 1947,

6424-401: The west side of Jekyll Island, the 240-acre (97.1 hectares) district is roughly bordered by Riverview Drive to the west, and the long arc of Stable Road (Old Village Boulevard) to the north, east and south. It contains thirty-three contributing properties from the Jekyll Island Club, including the separately-NRHP-listed Rockefeller Cottage and Faith Chapel . Jekyll Island Club Historic District

6512-477: The year 1800, Christophe du Bignon acquired all of the property of the island. Christophe du Bignon and his family arrived here from France in 1792 as refugees from the violence of the French Revolution against the elite. Du Bignon developed a prosperous plantation based on African slavery . After he died in 1825, his son Henri Charles Du Bignon inherited the property. Under the new ownership of Henri Charles

6600-491: Was able to find 53 people to join the club, including such famous names as Henry Hyde , Marshall Field , John Pierpont Morgan , Joseph Pulitzer , and William K. Vanderbilt . On February 17, 1886, Finney signed an official agreement with Dubignon, who sold Jekyll Island to Finney's Jekyll Island Club for $ 125,000. On April 1, 1886, a meeting was held in New York to create the constitution and by-laws, and to nominate officers for

6688-545: Was added to the NRHP on January 20, 1972, and was designated a national historic landmark district on June 2, 1978. From 1967 to 1968, Savannah landscape architect Clermont Huger Lee created a master development plan with the goal to restore the area known as "Millionaire's Village" to its 1910–1929 era. Though not fully implemented, Lee's plans served as a foundation in the redevelopment of today's Jekyll Island Historic District. Download coordinates as: Jekyll Island It

6776-407: Was an attempt to draw in new and younger people as well as to draw more members back to the clubhouse. This new membership did revitalize the club membership roster, although only for a brief period. World War II was the final blow to the life of the Jekyll Island Club. The club opened as usual for the 1942 season. However, by the beginning of March it was announced there would be an early close to

6864-430: Was charged with the operation and care of the island. Black residents of Brunswick petitioned the state for access‚ and in 1950‚ a portion of southern Jekyll‚ renamed St. Andrews Beach‚ was designated for blacks‚ becoming the first public beach in Georgia accessible to African Americans. Five years later‚ the state erected the “Colored Beach House,” which now stands as a historic landmark at Camp Jekyll. The authority placed

6952-473: Was developed into golf courses. A short winding road leads to a parking lot and one of the three picnic areas on the island. To the west is a vast marsh hammock and a view of the Sidney Lanier Bridge , a 480-foot (150 m)-tall cable-stay bridge on Hwy 17. A large fishing pier extends northwest from the picnic area. To the east, a bridge crosses Clam Creek, in front of an inland marsh, to connect

7040-491: Was discussed by that group, and then word was passed out", as Stanley Field put it. ... But a visitor, seated on a lobby sofa, and those who sweep in for lunch, could hardly disagree with the recent pecking-order manual, "Who Runs Chicago?" Its conclusion: "The Chicago Club is the center of power in Chicago. It is mandatory for the city's biggest executives to join it, unless they want to be considered not-so-big executives. In 1975, G. William Domhoff , professor of sociology at

7128-421: Was enjoined upon all. The public must not glean a hint of what was to be done. Senator Aldrich notified each one to go quietly into a private car of which the railroad had received orders to draw up on an unfrequented platform. Off the party set. New York's ubiquitous reporters had been foiled ... Nelson (Aldrich) had confided to Henry, Frank, Paul and Piatt that he was to keep them locked up at Jekyll Island, out of

7216-486: Was filmed on the island, as well as part of an episode in season 10 in 2019. In 2021, some scenes for The Menu were filmed on Driftwood Beach. The musical version of The Color Purple (2023) shot several scenes on Driftwood Beach in March 2022. Jekyll Island has a small airfield . Chicago Club The Chicago Club , founded in 1869, is a private social club located at 81 East Van Buren Street at Michigan Avenue in

7304-476: Was formed from crushed oyster shells, lime and water to make a kind of cement. It is featured in several historic sea island structures dating from the antebellum plantation era. The house was occupied by Major William Horton during the British colonial period. He developed Georgia's first brewery (the ruins of which are a few hundred yards down the road). The remains of the house have been meticulously preserved over

7392-476: Was long used seasonally by indigenous peoples of the region. The Guale and the Mocama , the indigenous peoples of the area when Europeans first reached the area, were killed or forced to leave by the English of the Province of Carolina and their native allies, and by raids by French pirates. Plantations were developed on the island during the British colonial period. A few structures still standing are made of tabby ,

7480-503: Was near the border between the Guale people and the Mocama people. Historians have debated whether the town of Guadalquini was on Jekyll Island or St. Simon's Island, and whether the people that lived there late in the 16th century were Guale or Mocama. By early in the 17th century Guadalquini was occupied by the Mocama. Both the Guale and the Mocama became part of the Spanish mission system . In

7568-612: Was passed to create a new club for 100 Chicago citizens. For $ 100, a gentleman could join the Chicago Club. Wadsworth was elected the first president. Stager, Charles B. Farwell , George Pullman , George & David Gage, and Wirt Dexter each lent the club $ 500 to cover early expenses. Other charter members included Robert Todd Lincoln , the President's son, Perry H. Smith , the railroad magnate, Potter Palmer , and (later) Marshall Field . Former state representative Edward S. Isham drafted incorporation papers and Wadsworth delivered them to

7656-540: Was primarily closed to the public. Upon completion of the six-year causeway project and erection of the drawbridge on December 11, 1954, Jekyll Island officially re-opened for public use. The Authority was criticized and received negative publicity in the mid-1950s. The Georgia Legislature restructured the Authority in 1957, requiring board members to be elected officials. The state attorney general, state auditor, public service commissioner, state parks department director, and secretary of state were all made board members. In

7744-408: Was to go on a duck hunting trip on Jekyll Island. Forbes magazine founder Bertie Charles Forbes wrote several years later: Picture a party of the nation's greatest bankers stealing out of New York on a private railroad car under cover of darkness, stealthily riding hundreds of miles South, embarking on a mysterious launch, sneaking onto an island deserted by all but a few servants, living there

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