Category: About

Genoa Martin, Jekyll Island Trailblazer

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Allison Dupuis, JIA Museum Educator

In 1955, the Jekyll Island State Park Authority approved two separate construction projects for the island’s southern end near St. Andrews Beach. Only five years earlier, African American community leaders from Brunswick had petitioned for and won access to Jekyll Island’s beaches. With this victory, St. Andrews Beach became the first (and, at the time, only) public beach in Georgia accessible to black visitors. The southern end of the island now needed amenities to provide for these crowds of beachgoers.

The first construction project, the Beach Pavilion, was completed in September of 1955, bringing concessions, a jukebox, and other amenities to St. Andrews. The second project, a set of segregated residential and commercial lots called St. Andrews Subdivision, was approved in the same year. At first, the subdivision didn’t receive much interest. However, following the success of the nearby Dolphin Club Motor Hotel and Lounge during the late 1950s and early 1960s, some local residents began to choose spots for vacation homes at St. Andrews Beach.

In 1963, Brunswick couple Genoa and Mamie Martin became the first residents of St. Andrews Subdivision. The couple were already well-known as community leaders in Glynn County, Georgia. Genoa Martin managed both Seldon Park, in Brunswick, and ran a beloved weekly radio program. He also worked with a genre of musical acts like those that graced the Dolphin Club stage. As a promoter, Martin brought nationally known musicians like James Brown, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington to the Brunswick area. By 1963, Martin and his family had submitted plans for a beach house and a request for a building permit to the Jekyll Island State Park Authority, which were approved on January 21. Over the preceding years as St. Andrews Subdivision flourished around them, the Martin family remained central figures of African American life on Jekyll Island.

Decades later, Genoa and Mamie’s daughter, Sandra Martin Mungin, shared fond memories of her time at the house on Jekyll Island. Like her parents, Sandra was an involved member of the community both in Brunswick and on Jekyll Island. She was a teenager when her parents built their house in St. Andrews Subdivision. Her friends flocked to the house to enjoy all the area had to offer including fishing, barbecues, dances at the Beach Pavilion, and walking on the beach. Sandra’s favorite memories of life on Jekyll Island involved “just spending time with my father and friends and doing simple things. Enjoying the beauty of Jekyll Island and what it has to offer. We just had a good time! That’s what it was all about, living over here, was to enjoy the place!”

This summer, Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum is excited to collect oral histories of life on Jekyll Island as it  continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary as a State Park. Like Sandra’s recollections, these oral histories share the depth and variety of experience on the island from the 1940s through today. Do you have a Jekyll Island story to tell? Visit the Mosaic website to share your unique memories with the curatorial team — your story may be recorded into our archives to further shape Jekyll Island’s rich history!

It’s Turtle Crawl, Ya’ll!

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Alexa Hawkins, JIA Director of Marketing & Communications

Join other turtle-lovers at the annual Jekyll Island Turtle Crawl! Registration is underway for this fan-favorite event celebrating the start of sea turtle nesting season on the Georgia coast. Registrations from the Turtle Crawl races benefits the life-saving work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation.

Returning to the road Saturday, April 30, participants can run the beachside 5K or 10K races and receive a commemorative t-shirt. Those who place at the top of their category will also receive a 2022 race metal. Families looking to participate together can join in the one-kilometer Fun Run and pose for a photo with the Center’s official mascot, Scute C. Turtle, and friends. For those who want to support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center from afar, or simply sleep in and still get a t-shirt, registrants can join the race through a virtual Ghost Crawler option. Following the races, join Georgia Sea Turtle Center staff for Shell-e-brate, the Center’s family-friendly all-day event featuring educational activities and visits with staff and animal ambassadors.

Turtle Crawl was created in 2003 as a fundraiser for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center which, with more than a decade in operation, has provided care for more than 3,000 patients, including a variety of sea turtle species and other coastal wildlife. Turtle Crawl participants have raised more than $100,000 to help save sea turtles, with more than $24,000 raised in 2021!

Become a sea turtle ambassador and race for a cause at this one-of-a-kind event supporting sea turtle conservation. Be sure to register soon as race registrations increase April 10 and online registration closed April 27!

A Year of Progress at Hollybourne Cottage

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Allison Dupuis, JIA Museum Educator

It’s hard to miss Hollybourne Cottage on a trip through the Historic District. The Cottage’s unique structure, enormous side porch, and tabby exterior attract curious visitors every day. These same features speak to the Maurice family’s love for Hollybourne and their devotion to preservation on Jekyll Island. Charles and Charlotte Maurice spearheaded the first rehabilitation of Horton House and the Dubignon cemetery, two other tabby structures on the island, in 1898. Even after Charles’ and Charlotte’s deaths, their children, especially their daughters Marion and Margaret, maintained their devotion to Jekyll Island and spent every winter season at Hollybourne until 1942.

Today, Hollybourne Cottage is a fascinating preservation work in progress. Throughout the past year, Jekyll Island Authority Historic Preservationist Taylor Davis and a host of volunteers have worked to make important improvements to the cottage’s exterior and interior features.

The most visible project from the outside is Hollybourne’s roof—the cottage’s original shingles were made of old growth cypress, and the team recently undertook a major roof preservation project. Hollybourne gained new, high-quality cedar shingles that are fire, rot, and bug resistant, aiding in the future preservation of the cottage.

Several interior features were upgraded as well. A stove hood in the service wing of the house had been removed from the building for eight years for stabilization and paint sampling to retain its original color. Volunteers rehung this stove hood in early 2022, along with the original basement door, which also underwent significant preservation.

In the dining room, the team continues work on the ceiling, including new lath (wooden strips) which will be left exposed. The ceiling project, along with several other projects in the dining room, aim to return the room to an interpretable level while leaving “windows to the past” to highlight construction methods.

Hollybourne Cottage’s story is ongoing. The most recent issue of 31•81, the Magazine of Jekyll Island, highlighted one of the cottage’s remarkable preservation stories. As Preservation Month approaches in May, make sure to visit Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum for opportunities to explore Hollybourne’s unique place in Jekyll Island history or click HERE to participate in the restoration of this beautiful piece of history.

Providing for Wildlife at Horton Pond

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Yank Moore, JIA Natural Resources Manager

Horton Pond has become a destination for many guests and their families while visiting Jekyll. The wildlife viewing area, basking platform, and nature trail funded by the Jekyll Island Foundation allows visitors a chance to experience the American Alligator, Night Herons, Wood Ducks, and various other wildlife in their natural habitat. The JIA Conservation team’s goal for this project has been to provide a space for people to enjoy nature while improving habitat value for wildlife, increase educational opportunities, and encourage guests to become better stewards of the environment.

Beyond what is visible to the public, the JIA’s Conservation Department manages Horton Pond to be as productive and natural as possible without using harsh chemicals or other invasive means of control. Instead, sterile grass carp were introduced to eat the underwater aquatic plants that would normally take herbicide to control, and a recently installed solar aeration system to supply much needed oxygen for fish and other underwater wildlife to flourish.

Recently another upgrade was made to the pond. Funded by generous donors of the Jekyll Island Foundation, a solar aeration system was installed to not only provide oxygen, but enhance water quality, limit excess nutrients, and keep algae from causing issues for wildlife. Horton Pond is man-made and has no natural water input like a stream or river so it must rely on surface runoff and groundwater. Without management this pond could suffer from a stagnation effect and without the aeration system the pond could go through cycles of bad health. The system installed at Horton Pond is powered completely by a solar panel harnessing the power of the sun and is efficient enough with timers and controls to run even on cloudy days.

To see the system in action, visit Horton Pond early in the mornings when aeration system is on and when the pond needs it the most.

The island’s lush tree cover is not all mother nature’s doing

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Erica Glasener, Atlanta Magazine Custom Media
Photos: Brian Lee, JIA Digital Content Manager

Jekyll Island’s magnificent trees, most notably the grand live oaks that line roadways and make up a good part of the native canopy, are a well-known and much-loved element of the look and feel of the island. The beauties filter the air, provide welcome shade, furnish needed habitat for the area’s pollinators, and supply a year-round elegance that is a part of the very definition of the island.

What visitors and residents may not be aware of, though, is the great lengths that are taken to maintain and preserve these natural wonders.  

Cliff Gawron, the director of landscape and planning for the Jekyll Island Authority, and his team are charged with keeping the island looking beautiful and natural. When it comes to the trees of Jekyll, “Our primary focus is to preserve the overall native canopy which Jekyll is known for,” Gawron says.

…

“In addition to annual appropriations from the JIA general budget, the Jekyll Island Authority works closely with several organizations—Georgia Forestry, Garden Clubs of Georgia, and the Jekyll Island Foundation through grants and donor gifts to further invest in reforestation of the island,” he says.

This article first appeared in Volume 5 Number 1 of 31•81, the Magazine of Jekyll Island. CONTINUE READING

To learn how you can support the Jekyll Island Foundation tree program, click HERE.

Dave Jackson and Jekyll Island’s Dolphin Club

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Allison Dupuis, JIA Museum Educator

When Jekyll Island State Park first opened to the public in 1948, it was accessible only to white visitors. In 1950, black leaders from nearby Brunswick petitioned for and won access to the island’s beaches, and St. Andrews Beach at the south end was designated for use by black visitors. Ten years after Jekyll Island’s grand opening, the Dolphin Club and Motor Hotel, a beach resort for black vacationers, opened at St. Andrews Beach—and it would soon be under new management.

The first version of the Dolphin Club lasted less than a year. The hotel officially opened for business in August of 1959, then closed later in 1959 due to financial difficulties. The Jekyll Island Authority bought the property for $299,000. In 1960, they leased it to its longest-running proprietor—Dave Jackson, a respected black banker, farmer, and businessman from the small town of Adel, Georgia.

Jackson’s hometown reputation preceded him. In 1948, a white journalist named Roy Sprigle spent a month traveling across the South, focusing on the experiences of a range of black people in the region. He published his experiences as a serialized article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and he focused one chapter entirely on Jackson’s notable success as a black farmer in a small southern community. According to Sprigle, Jackson owned two blocks of business property in Adel, along with a thousand acres of some of the best land in Georgia. He was known throughout his community as a hard worker and generous man who helped other farmers, black and white, in times of need. Dave and his wife, Comer King Jackson, worked hard to make themselves known as devoted advocates and examples for their family and their neighbors.

More than a decade later, Dave Jackson’s devotion to his family followed him to Jekyll Island and the Dolphin Club. In 1960, Jackson leased the Dolphin Club property from the Jekyll Island Authority. While Jackson oversaw the entire property, his sisters Annabelle Robinson and Betty Chandler managed the hotel, and his nephew James Chandler supervised the Dolphin Club Lounge. In the years that followed, the Jackson family turned the Dolphin Club into a thriving black vacation destination. As part of the Chitlin’ Circuit, a chain of venues that catered to black performers and audiences, the Dolphin Club Lounge soon attracted big name acts like B.B. King, Clarence Carter, and Percy Sledge. In 1964, Otis Redding performed at the St. Andrews Auditorium, a space built to hold larger performances and conventions on the south end of the island.

All state-owned facilities on Jekyll Island were integrated in 1964, and the Jackson family closed the Dolphin Club in 1966. In the decades since the resort’s closure, the Dolphin Club and the family who brought it so much success have become part of Jekyll Island’s history, celebrated by Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum. In 2022, Mosaic is excited to share the past 75 years of state ownership of Jekyll Island. To join in the celebration, make sure to explore upcoming programs and opportunities on the Jekyll Island website. To learn more about black history on Jekyll Island, visit the interactive timeline here.

In celebration of Black History Month and the 75th anniversary of state ownership of Jekyll Island, explore the island’s unique black history and musical history—all in one tour! Join the Dolphin Club Days guided trolley tour travels around the south end of the island and includes a musical performance by Ace Winn and refreshments on the grounds of the historic Dolphin Club and Motor Hotel. On the way back to the Mosaic, enjoy music from performers who visited the Dolphin Club and hear oral histories about what life was like on Jekyll Island in the 1950s and 1960s. The tour lasts approximately one hour and fifteen minutes and begins at Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum.

Turtle Crawl Returns to the Road

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

Alexa Hawkins, JIA Director of Marketing & Communications

Run a race, save a turtle! Turtle Crawl, the fan-favorite annual race event, returns to the road on Saturday, April 30, 2022! After its 2020 cancelation and virtual format in 2021, sea-turtle lovers can once again race on Jekyll Island in celebration of the start of sea turtle nesting season on the Georgia coast. This important fundraising event supports the lifesaving work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation. Your support helps continue the Center’s mission of sea turtle rehabilitation, research, and education.

Join other race participants at Great Dunes Beach Park to compete in one of three on-island race options —a 10K, a 5K, or a one-kilometer family Fun Run—and receive a commemorative t-shirt for participating. Those who place at the top of their category will also receive a 2022 race metal. Participants can also pose for a photo with the Center’s official mascot, Scute C. Turtle, and friends. For those who want to support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center from afar, or simply sleep in and still get a t-shirt, registrants can join the race through a virtual Ghost Crawler option.

After the races, participants can join the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for their annual event, Shell-e-Brate, for free family activities and hands on learning, in addition to seeing the real-time rehabilitation of current patients, happening all day at the Center.

Turtle Crawl was created in 2003 as a fundraiser for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center which, with more than a decade in operation, has provided care for more than 3,000 patients, including a variety of sea turtle species and other coastal wildlife. Turtle Crawl participants have raised more than $100,000 to help save sea turtles, with more than $24,000 raised in 2021!

Become a sea turtle ambassador and race for a cause at this one-of-a-kind event supporting sea turtle conservation. Be sure to register soon as race registrations increase March 10!

Celebrating 75 Years of the State Era

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Allison Dupuis, JIA Museum Educator & Lydia Cobb, JIA Marketing Communications Manager

There was a time when Jekyll Island was famous for its exclusivity. A place only those with means stepped ashore. But upon the Island’s purchase in 1947, Jekyll quickly evolved to a destination like no other, bringing forward its now equally fascinating State-era history. As the island embarks on its 75th year as a state park, these are just a few of the moments in time that transitioned Jekyll Island from its Club era to State era—and into modern day:

  • Visiting and living here is made possible in 1947 when the State of Georgia purchases the island from the Jekyll Island Club through condemnation proceedings for $675,000, about $6.7 million today.
  • In 1948, Georgia Governor Melvin Thompson describes this Southern state of mind, a year after purchase: “A playground that now belongs to every Georgian.” But who will manage this new playground in the Golden Isles? A wonderland with Spanish moss draped on centuries-old live oaks, pristine beaches, and dolphins splashing just offshore.
  • The Jekyll Island Authority is established in 1950 to operate the island in stewardship of its natural and cultural resources. Seven years after the state acquires Jekyll, a drawbridge opens in 1954, leading to the opening of the Jekyll Island Causeway as America drives forward.
  • During segregation, St. Andrews Beach opens to black visitors at the southern end, one of few oceanfront gathering places accessible to blacks in the South at the time. The famous Dolphin Club opens in 1959 and hosts dozens of Blues legends including Otis Redding and B.B. King. All state-operated facilities are integrated on Jekyll Island in 1964, paving the way for the further integration of Georgia’s diverse population and the rest of the South.
  • As the Authority focuses on historic preservation and adding new leisure amenities, the Club-era is recognized in 1978 through the historic designation of the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District. Summer Waves water park opens in 1987 as a new recreational offering and attracts a new generation of families.
  • Beginning in the mid-2000s, the island undergoes a revitalization period to update and enhance its facilities. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center opens as the state’s only wildlife hospital and rehabilitation facility for sea turtles in 2007. An updated, silver LEED-certified convention center opens in 2012 and remains the only oceanfront convention center in the Southeast. New residential communities and flagship hotels bring enhanced accommodations to the island. And, in 2019 Jekyll Island ranks as the #1 U.S. Travel Destination by Money Magazine.

Now, as the new year kicks off, all of Jekyll Island will commemorate the last 75 years with anniversary events, new programming, and other celebratory experiences throughout 2022. Join Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, on Thursday, February 3 from 4-6 p.m. for a special exhibit opening highlighting the state park purchase and the creation of “Fabulous Jekyll Island.” View photos from the island’s opening in 1947, enjoy themed activities and refreshments, and sign up to participate in a commemorative oral history program! After the kickoff, stay updated on events and activities throughout the year by visiting jekyllisland.com/75.

Shorebirds

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Ben Carswell, JIA Director of Conservation and Sustainability

The partnership between the Jekyll Island Authority, Georgia Audubon, Georgia Sea Grant, and Jekyll Island Foundation to support a State Sea Grant Fellowship based on Jekyll Island in 2020 and 2021 has ended following a productive and enriching year for Sergio Sabat-Bonilla. While Sergio has moved on to Ph.D. studies at Virginia Tech, thanks to his efforts, we now have a more complete understanding than ever before of how, when, and where shorebirds are using Jekyll Island’s beaches.

During his fellowship, Sergio logged countless hours surveying all of Jekyll’s beaches by bike and on foot, counting and identifying over 18-thousand individual birds representing 16 different species. Sergio found that the best time and place to see the greatest abundance of shorebirds while on island, is in the morning on the south end as the tide is rising but not yet high.

Another aspect of Sergio’s fellowship was to analyze four priority species – Wilson’s plover, piping plover, red knot, and American oystercatcher. Areas of research focused on where these species were most likely to be seen, at what stage of the tide, and at what time of day.

Piping plovers, a species that winters on Jekyll Island and is federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, were notably wider ranging along the beaches than had previously been assumed. Pipers, as they are affectionately called, and their cousins, the Wilson’s plover, utilize both Jekyll’s remote and less traveled beaches on the far south end of the island as well as the busier beaches fronting the island’s bustling Beach Village and Great Dunes Beach Park.

While it’s encouraging that these species are still finding space and food to support their needs even on Jekyll’s busiest beaches, it’s also cause for caution and awareness. As Jekyll Island has experienced increased visitation due to changing patterns of tourism during the pandemic, it is all the more essential for Jekyll Island conservation staff to continue to protect the wildlife habitat value of both Jekyll’s most pristine beaches as well as its most visited ones.

How can you participate?

  1. Be mindful and respectful of birds when visiting or walking pets on the beach.
  2. Educate – read articles on Wildlife Research, become an Environmental Steward, or sign up to take a seasonal Ranger Walk or Gatorology adventure.
  3. Help with bird conservation efforts by donating HERE.