By Patrick Carmody, Museum Educator
This has been a year of milestones for the tabby built Hollybourne Cottage, with new exhibits throughout the first floor, a kickoff celebration this past March, and the return of A Bridge to the Past summer series program. The new exhibits, designed by Curator Andrea Marroquin alongside HW Exhibits have brought history to life with outstanding visuals, multiple interactives, and historic objects never previously displayed for the public. These additions to the former home of the Maurice family have been made possible from fundraising provided by the Jekyll Island Foundation.
Installation of these contemporary exhibits wrapped up in early March, right on time for A Spotlight on Hollybourne. The celebration included free-flowing presentations informing guests on saving Hollybourne from ruin, guided narration into the exhibits, and showcasing unique Maurice family collections. To bring the event to life, the program also included a period inspired cherry sour cocktail, living history characters, and a performance by the Jekyll Island Big Band funded by a Friends of Coastal Georgia History grant via the Jekyll Island Foundation. This evening event sold out to a full house and was a night to remember. At the Jekyll Island Museum, staff have coined this, the Year of Hollybourne.
The Year of Hollybourne is an interpretive deep dive into the diverse history surrounding a cornerstone structure in the Jekyll Island Landmark Historic District. Recently, the Museum offered the program Ride the Riverside, a guided bike tour of the Island’s trails, history of bicycling on the Jekyll, and an in-depth stop at the Hollybourne Cottage to enjoy an educational break and a place to cool off.
The Museum is also introducing a summer season self-guided scavenger hunt titled Adventures in Architecture. Memorial Day to Labor Day, this journey highlights a wide variety of the unique architectural elements of the Historic District including a brief stop to the Hollybourne Cottage to examine the architecture of the cottage’s tabby exterior.
On June 28th, July 19th, and August 16th the Museum will be shuttling an extended trolley tour of this beloved manor. A Bridge to the Past: Hollybourne Cottage will leave the Museum with guided live narration expanding on the dynamic history of the Maurice family, the Jekyll Club Era, and a detailed interior tour of both Hollybourne and Faith Chapel. It’s a program you won’t want to miss!
Currently, plans are underway for the second floor of Hollybourne to be exhibited in a similar style to the exhibits on the first floor. The use of this space will also allow for an expansion of the stories that can be told from Hollybourne, history guests can engage with and increase what the Jekyll Island Museum can offer the public with its programming. Hollybourne’s future looks more and more promising each year, but 2025 will always be seen as the year Hollybourne returned to the front of the stage.
To partner with the Historic Resources team, helping to preserve these unique spaces for future generations, click HERE.
