The Carnegie family had multiple boats in their fleet at the Dungeness estate. Captain George W. Yates captained the Carnegie's yacht and led a crew of 17. He lived in the appropriately named Captain's House near his workplace: the Dungeness dock. The Captain's House still stands today near the Ice House Museum and Dungeness dock.
The Carnegie family's Dungeness estate featured multiple modes of transportation to and from the island and while on it. These included yachts, horses, carriages, and automobiles. The Carriage House in featured storage of carriages and elevator to hoist from one story to the next. Horse stalls housed the family's prized ponies.
Over the past millennia, many different people have visited and inhabited Cumberland Island. Timucuan Indians lived off the island’s abundance, eating shellfish, game, and edible plants. The arrival of the Spanish in the 1580s meant the downfall of a once flourishing society.
Cumberland Island is filled with an abundance of natural resources and has been utilized for a wide variety of human purposes throughout its history. The trees that surround you as you walk the road- live oaks- are an excellent example of human manipulation of a natural environment. This excellent hardwood species with curved branches, became extremely valuable by the mid to late eighteenth century for use in ship building.
The Dungeness ruins are one of numerous visual reminders of the Carnegie era here on Cumberland Island, but the Carnegie Dungeness represents only one layer of this area’s rich history.
The tabby house is the oldest standing structure on Cumberland Island, built around 1800 by the Greene-Millers for use as an overseer's cottage. Tabby is a combination of island resources: sand, water, oyster shell and lime. This was a common building material during the nineteenth century in coastal areas where oysters naturally occur.
The Queen Anne structure- Recreation Building- held a doctor’s office, billiard room, gun room, dressing rooms, gymnasium, heated pool and, on the southeast side, an apartment for Lucy Carnegie’s bachelor son Frank.
The Grange was built in 1901 as a residence for William Page, tutor for the Carnegie sons and later estate manager. As manager, Mr. Page oversaw the day-to-day running of operations for the entire island. Page died in 1922, after which Carnegie daughter Florence used it as her residence until her passing in 1962. Carnegie descendants retained the rights to the Grange until 2010 when it became public land.
Many employees on the Carnegie Dungeness estate worked and lived on the island. Dormitory-style housing hosted some of the one hundred employees. Job descriptions ranged widely, including positions as household servants, stable hands, tending the cattle and poultry, working in the laundry, bakery, icehouse, or electrical plant, as well as landscaping and gardening.
Dungeness Beach is a short walk from the Dungeness ruins area. This 0.5 mile path leaves the historic district and passes tidal marsh and dune field settings before reaching the beach. The dune crossing to Dungeness Beach can be completed as part of the 4.3 mile loop that takes visitors from the Sea Camp dock, to the Ice House Museum, Dungeness ruins, salt marsh, dune field, and beach, before returning to Sea Camp. However, the dune crossing to Dungeness Beach is not recommen
First established in 1893, the First African Baptist Church served a community of freedmen and women during the reconstruction era. This humble building served as the center of the community called The Settlement.
The Greene-Miller Cemetery is a great place to delve into the island's storied history. Located in the Dungeness Historic District, take in the Greene-Miller Cemetery and the view of the salt marsh to the south.
Stop by the Ice House Museum to learn about the island’s history. You will find photos and images from the island’s past and stories of the people that once lived, worked and recreated on the island. Located next to the Dungeness Dock, the Ice House also has restrooms and treated drinking water.
Originally housing the laundry facilities of the Carnegie’s Dungeness Estate, the Laundry house is now a restroom and water stop in the Dungeness Historical District. With shaded picnic tables in front and one indoor table, this is a great place to stop for a break.
Leave the tree line near Dungeness and head onto the marsh boardwalk on your way to the beach. Just a short walk from the historic district, the marsh boardwalk provides great wildlife-viewing opportunities. Manatees can be seen feeding on the marsh grasses around high tide during the summer. Wading shorebirds probe the mud flats in search of crabs and small fish. An American alligator sighting isn't out of the question either.
Step back in time and imagine yourself as a Carnegie guest spectating a game of polo or taking a shaded stroll. See how this wealthy industrialist family enjoyed recreation and leisure with a visit to the Dungeness pergola.
Located 7 miles from the Sea Camp dock, Plum Orchard mansion is a sight to see. Constructed in 1898, the 22,000 square foot mansion was gifted by Lucy Carnegie to her son, George Lauder Carnegie, upon marrying Margaret Thaw. Visitors can take a free tour of the mansion for a glimpse into Edwardian High Society at the turn of the 20th century. But further exploration tells the story of a family who valued the island, and their time spent with friends and family there.
Recreation complexes were common among the wealthy Gilded Age industrialists. The Carnegies' at Dungeness featured a heated swimming pool, steam room, squash court, apartment, billiard room, gun room, and doctor's office. Stop by during your visit to the Dungeness area to view where recreation once abounded for the Carnegie family.
