Georgias Must See Places Cumberland Island By Cliff

Georgia’s Must See Places Cumberland Island By: Cliff Kicklighter

The only way we can get to Cumberland Island is by boat. Let’s hop on the Cumberland Island Ferry and head on over.

While we’re on our boat ride, let me tell you a little about Cumberland Island is Georgia’s Largest Barrier Island. It is approximately 18 miles long and between ½ and 3 miles wide.

In the 1730 s, James Edward Oglethorpe laid out two forts, one on each end of Cumberland Island. In the 1750 s, aspiring planters came to the Island once slavery was allowed on its shores. After the American Revolution, prestigious families, such as that of Nathaniel Greene, became interested in Cumberland's natural resources.

In the early 1880 s, Thomas Morrison Carnegie and his wife, Lucy Coleman Carnegie, came to the Island established the family's presence. There are still some remains of the family’s home (which they called Dungeness) on Cumberland Island. Thomas and Andrew Carnegie

In 1972 President Richard Nixon signed a bill that declared Cumberland Island a national seashore. The Carnegies later sold the island to the federal government, which turned Cumberland into a national park.

Well it looks like the ferry ride is over, let’s go explore Cumberland Island!

Hey there’s the Ice House Museum! Why don’t we take a look around before we start our journey. The museum is filled with great artifacts and photos that tell the history of the island. It looks like I told you most of this on the boat ride over…I must be a good tour guide!

Cumberland is home to hundreds of Feral horses. Hey look, there’s one over in the pasture! The horses are called feral because their ancestors were once domesticated. Legend has it, they were originally brought to the island by the Spanish.

Let’s make our way to Dungeness…looks like we will have to walk through the maritime forest.

Ahhh…here at last! The ruins you see are what remains of Dungeness. Thomas and Lucy Carnegie built this house back in 1884. Dungeness burned in 1959, that’s why you only see the ruins. Here is a picture of what it looked like before it burned.

Hey check out these huge live oak trees. They have been around for hundreds of years! The two biggest trees are named Thomas and Lucy after the Carnegies.

I think we should start heading to the beach! There a few things I want to point out on the way. This is the grave of Henry Lee III, also known as “Light Horse Harry. ” Henry was the 9 th Governor of Virginia. You may have heard of his son, Robert E. Lee.

You have to see this! This is the First African Baptist Church established in the United States. It was built in 1893 and then rebuilt in the 1930’s. It was the site of the September 1996 wedding of the late John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.

You know I have learned a lot about the history of Check out the marsh grass, Cumberland Island. But, oyster beds and sand dunes I’m ready to hit the on the way down. While beach now! most beaches are developed for tourism, Cumberland Island is the way it was hundreds of years ago.

Finally, we made it to the beach!

I hope you had a great time today exploring Cumberland Island! Remember, next time you want to go site seeing, camping or hit the beach come check out Cumberland Island.

Credits Cumberland Island Facts Courtesy of: www. nps. gov , www. cumberlandisland. com Photos Courtesy of: Cliff Kicklighter Candice Kicklighter www. nps. gov Music Courtesy of: www. freeplaymusic. com