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The Jekyll Island Museum

Discover the glittering world of a turn-of-the-century resort in the Gilded Era.  In 1886, Jekyll Island was purchased to become an exclusive winter retreat for America’s high society, known as the Jekyll Island Club.  The Jekyll Island Museum tells their stories, giving an inside look at what life was like for both club members and their employees.  Exhibits also cover the early history of the island, chronicling the experience of enslaved men and women during Jekyll Island’s plantation era.

 

Horton House Historic Site

Step into the life of the colonies at the Horton House ruins, on North Riverview Drive.  One of the oldest tabby buildings in Georgia, Horton House was rebuilt in 1743 by Jekyll Island’s first English inhabitant, after a Spanish attack.  Discover the site’s other occupants, including Native Americans, indentured servants, British troops, French privateers, African Americans, and Civil War soldiers.  Explore the centuries at these site ruins on your own, or join in periodic living history programs, ranging from before the Revolution to the Civil War.

 

The Wanderer Memorial

The Wanderer Memorial honors survivors of the last known slave ship to reach Georgia.  Illegally landed on Jekyll Island over 150 years ago, these survivors were among the last known groups of enslaved Africans sold into captivity in America.  The memorial, located in the St. Andrew’s Picnic Area, tells their story, with 12-foot (3.7 m) tall steel sculptures of ship sails symbolizing their ensnarement and journey. 

 

E-Guide to the Jekyll Island Club National Landmark District

Introduce yourself to the Jekyll Island Club with the best of our extensive archives of photos, oral histories, diaries, and rare home-movie footage.  The club member’s stories come alive in the voices of members, staff, visitors, and the experts who have worked to preserve the island’s history.  This self-guided tour includes a walking guide map and interactive multi-media device rental.  Available daily, 9am-3pm at the Jekyll Island Museum on Stable Road.

 

Glory Boardwalk

Visit the filming location of the movie Glory.  With a talented cast starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, and Cary Elwes, the movie tells the powerful story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, an all-black unit made up of freemen and escaped slaves during the Civil War.  Located by the soccer complex on the south end of Jekyll Island, Glory Boardwalk provided the set for the film’s heroic final battle scene at Fort Wagner.