Travels. Life Changes. Coastal Counseling: Birthday Cumberland National Seashore

The Cumberland National Seashore was a little birthday trip to celebrate and spend the day together. I had been asking to go for probably a year and the weather was never right. We thought it would be nice and cool since it was November but we still had a pretty sweaty day. Cumberland Island is a time warp and private island all rolled into one. Although it was not private to us, it felt that way.

The island can only be accessed by ferry or private boat. The ferry was a 45 minute ride but the time flew by. It had a little air conditioned cab with a snack bar and everything. I can't imagine it was quite as luxurious and quick to reach its shores when it was in its prime. Although, from the looks of the Dungeness Ruins, it was probably even more luxurious!

These are the first set we saw.

In total, we counted 26 wild horses. Most kept their distance but a few were bold enough to let us know that we were in their way. There are a few pictures of me sporting a look of terror, concern or maybe awe. I definitely did not move. I wanted to be as close to these horses as they would allow. It's wonderful to think they are the descendants to the horses who were originally brought here. We saw them on the north (as north as we could petal in the sand) and south end of the island. They own the open fields. It's quite obvious in the amounts of poop they leave everywhere they go! It became a joke between us. You can't go 100 feet without seeing another pile of horse...clue. We definitely knew when they were close. I have recently heard mention of a group trying to remove the horses from Cumberland. I am not sure of the reasoning behind this but I think it is unthinkable. These horses are a part of the culture and history of the island. Just like the Dungeness Ruins, they cannot be removed.

The Dungeness Ruins are in the background.

Front view of Dungeness - Fountain to our right

The Dungeness Ruins are the highlighted feature from Cumberland Island. It is why many people visit the island. There are camp grounds, the Greyfield Inn, amazing beaches and maritime forests but I always hear people talk about the ruins. I was excited to see them but they were not our first stop. We were tired and even had to miss our scheduled ferry to see them. There have been a few structures in it's place but the current Dungeness was built in the 1880s and owned by Thomas Carnegie (Andrew's brother) and his wife Lucy. Thomas died in 1886 but Lucy continues to live here. They had lavish parties including celebrities, politicians and well, rich important people. Basically, we wouldn't have been on the list.
The below black and white picture is what the home looked like in 1958. It was well past its prime at this point. The Carnegie's moved out in 1925 after Lucy died. I think I read on a claque that it was briefly reopened for a wedding in the 50s but burned down in 1959. There is suspicion of arson from lotters to the island. It made me sad to know that someone chose to destroy so much history.

Standing on the carriage step

We are standing on the carriage step in these pictures. You can also see this step in the 1958 picture. You can also see the seating area behind the fiancé in the left picture. These seats were on both sides of the steps. I sat there and tried to image everyone in their swanky outfits waiting for the carriage to arrive and take them down the dirt roads and through the maritime forests to their homes. Again, we would not have been on the guest list if we were here in the 1880s.

Most of the home is protected by iron bars or railings asking us not to pass. We understood why when we began to look at the structure a little closer. It is being held together by steal beams and woods 2x4s added to support it a little longer.

Pergola beside the ruins

This pergola was once covered in vines and flowers. A little plaque mentioned that Lucy Carnegie would sit and walk through with guests to the island.

There were a few different cemeteries on the island but we only made it to this one. There is a concrete floor and footprint of what we assumed was an old church just before the cemetery. There are about 8 different headstones here. Most of them included people who were staying on the island when they died. We could not determine whether they were guests or important employees. Either way, it was interesting to see their legacy living on.

We went to the beach after a grueling bike ride through the sand roads. When I say sand, I mean SAND. I fishtailed more times than I could handle. We had ambitions of making it to Greyfield Inn but I was happy with our extended time on the beach in lieu of getting back on that road. We ate of lunch, looked for shells and enjoyed our private beach. No joke! We didn't see even one person the entire time. We did see a horse though. We saw him/her as soon as we entered the beach. Just like the rest, we were ignored as he/she ate until we got too close for comfort. We think we saw him/her a little later while trying to find an alternate route back to the ferry boat.

The beach was one of my favorite things about the island. I could have walked for an hour and stayed out there all day. It was relaxing and humbling.

I absolutely want to go back to stay or camp! Having the extra time to explore the island would be wonderful.

Below are a few pictures of things we found on the beach.