Jekyll Island History
We go way back
From the Guale and Mocama to the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts
Jekyll Island, Georgia, has a storied history that dates back thousands of years, beginning with its earliest inhabitants, the Guale and Mocama Indigenous people.
The indigenous history of Jekyll Island begins with the Guale and Mocama peoples, who inhabited the area long before European contact. These Native American groups were part of the broader cultural region of the Southeastern Woodlands and were known for their complex societal structures and skilled use of the coastal environment. They engaged in fishing, hunting, and gathering, utilizing the rich resources of the island and its surrounding waters.
The arrival of Europeans marked a significant change in their way of life, leading to dramatic shifts in their cultural and physical landscape. Despite this, the legacy of the Guale and Mocama remains an integral part of Jekyll Island’s history, emphasizing a deep connection to the land that predates colonial and modern influences.
The first sustained contact between the Guale, Mocama, and Europeans began with the Spanish in the 1560s. The Spanish established missions along the coast as part of their broader effort to convert Indigenous peoples to Christianity and integrate them into the colonial system. This era was marked by the founding of numerous missions in Guale and Mocama territories, such as the mission of San Buenaventura de Guadalquini on what is now St. Simons Island.
The missions were not just religious centers but also focal points of cultural and economic exchange and, unfortunately, conflict. The spread of diseases to which the Indigenous populations had no immunity, combined with the socio-political upheaval brought by the Spanish, led to significant declines in their populations and disruptions to their traditional ways of life.
Throughout the late 16th and 17th centuries, there were numerous uprisings against Spanish rule. The Guale Rebellion of 1597 is one notable example, where the Guale actively resisted Spanish efforts at further encroachment. Despite these resistances, the continuous pressure from European diseases, enslavement, and warfare gradually diminished their populations.
In 1733, General James Oglethorpe established Georgia as a British colony and built Fort Frederica on nearby St. Simons Island, using Jekyll Island as a strategic lookout point. The island was named in honor of Sir Joseph Jekyll, a financial backer of the colony. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Jekyll Island served as a prosperous plantation, primarily cultivating cotton under the ownership of Christophe DuBignon, a Frenchman who had fled the Haitian Revolution.
The island's most notable chapter began in the late 19th century when the Jekyll Island Club was established in 1886. Dubbed "the richest, most exclusive club in the world," it became a winter retreat for America’s wealthiest families, including the Rockefellers, Morgans, and Vanderbilts. These affluent industrialists constructed opulent cottages and enjoyed leisure activities like hunting and yachting. The club’s exclusivity and the wealth of its members made Jekyll Island a significant player in American financial history; in 1910, the Aldrich-Vreeland Act, which laid the foundation for the Federal Reserve System, was secretly crafted there.
After World War II, the state of Georgia purchased Jekyll Island in 1947, transforming it into a state park open to the public. Efforts to preserve the historic character of the island led to the restoration of many original club buildings, now part of the Jekyll Island Historic District. Today, visitors can explore this fascinating past through guided tours, museums, and the island’s beautifully preserved architecture, experiencing firsthand the unique blend of nature and history that defines Jekyll Island.
