When friends invited my husband and me to spend the day with them on Jekyll Island, we were happy for the opportunity to visit this Georgia state park bordering the Atlantic Ocean that is less than a two hour drive from our home in Florida. We had never been there before, and now having visited this unique island, we hope to explore it again someday. We walked North End Beach in the morning and in the afternoon, spent some time enjoying the unique beauty of Driftwood Beach.
North End Beach, Jekyll Island
A salt marsh on Jekyll Island
But first, a little history lesson.
When General Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia in 1733, he named Jekyll Island in honor of Sir Joseph Jekyll, an English lawyer, chief justice, and member of Parliament. The island passed through several owners until after the Civil War. In 1886, Jekyll Island was purchased by the Jekyll Island Club and became an exclusive luxury vacation resort and hunting club for many of the wealthy elite American families of that era. William Rockefeller, William K. Vanderbilt, Marshall Field, Joseph Pulitzer, J. P. Morgan, and others built an elegant Clubhouse there. Several built their beautiful Victorian winter "cottages" nearby. Today, some of these homes have been restored and are open for tours. Sign me up! I hope to tour some of these historic homes on our next visit to Jekyll Island.
When General Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia in 1733, he named Jekyll Island in honor of Sir Joseph Jekyll, an English lawyer, chief justice, and member of Parliament. The island passed through several owners until after the Civil War. In 1886, Jekyll Island was purchased by the Jekyll Island Club and became an exclusive luxury vacation resort and hunting club for many of the wealthy elite American families of that era. William Rockefeller, William K. Vanderbilt, Marshall Field, Joseph Pulitzer, J. P. Morgan, and others built an elegant Clubhouse there. Several built their beautiful Victorian winter "cottages" nearby. Today, some of these homes have been restored and are open for tours. Sign me up! I hope to tour some of these historic homes on our next visit to Jekyll Island.
Spanish moss hangs from oak trees on Jekyll Island, GA
In 1910, J. P. Morgan arranged for six men to secretly meet at the Jekyll Island Club for the purpose of writing a plan to reform the United States banking system. That plan would lay the foundation for the future Federal Reserve System, which was created in 1913. J. P. Morgan had already bailed out the United States government during the Panics of 1893 and 1907, having loaned the U.S. Treasury $65 million in gold to prevent economic collapse. That's a lot of gold!
Despite the extraordinary wealth of its members, the Jekyll Island Club closed in 1942 during World War II. The State of Georgia bought the island in 1947 for use as a State Park. Today, the former Club grounds comprise a 240-acre site with 34 historic structures that are now the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District.
Despite the extraordinary wealth of its members, the Jekyll Island Club closed in 1942 during World War II. The State of Georgia bought the island in 1947 for use as a State Park. Today, the former Club grounds comprise a 240-acre site with 34 historic structures that are now the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District.
Scenic Jekyll Island
Jekyll Island is one of the four Golden Isles of the Georgia barrier island system off the southeastern coast of Georgia. As a state protected barrier island, its natural beauty includes sandy beaches, magnolia-live oak forests carpeted with scrub oak and palmetto interposed among tidal creeks, estuaries, and vast salt marshes filled with wildlife. The Golden Isles get their name from the golden autumn color of the saltmarsh plants. That's a lot of gold!
As summer fades to fall, the green saltmarshes turn to gold
Driftwood Beach, on the northeastern end of the island, displays changes due to the forces of nature. Many years of slow erosion from fluctuating tides, wind, and the effects of recent hurricanes have caused large trees to fall as the soil has been swept away and deposited on the southern end of the island. Scoured by wind and bleached by the sun, the stark beauty of these skeletal trees is striking.
The trunks of two palm trees standing like gate posts on Driftwood Beach
A skeletal forest of sun bleached trees with St. Simon's Island and lighthouse beyond
Sculptures in the sand
Massive gnarled tree sculptures line the shore of Driftwood Beach. Twice daily, the tides change. High tide pervades deeply inland and can reach 6 to 9 feet. Jekyll Island beaches are formed by the tides, but due to the gentle slope of the continental shelf, waves from the Atlantic ocean have lost much of their energy before they ripple the shoreline. You won't find surfers at Driftwood Beach!
Gentle waves reach the northern shore of Jekyll Island
Still standing, roots and all, on Driftwood Beach
A tangle of tree trunks thrown down by the wind and waves
Following hurricane Dora in the 1960s, boulders from throughout the state of Georgia were placed along the northern shoreline to create a breakwater in an effort to prevent further beach erosion. They are known as the "Johnson rocks" since it was President Lyndon B. Johnson who gave the area federal relief money. More recently, Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, and Michael have affected Jekyll Island.
Johnson rocks line a part of Driftwood Beach
Across the water from Driftwood Beach is St. Simon's Island, another Golden Isle of Georgia. The city of Brunswick, GA is nearby. On September 8, 2019, a 660 foot long carrier ship named the Golden Ray capsized within the port of Brunswick's harbor in St. Simons Sound. The massive ship was carrying 4,300 new cars. All crew members were rescued by the United States Coast Guard, but the ship was declared a total loss.
The golden arches of the Versabar 10,000 crane can be seen in the distance
The salvage work was done using a massive heavy-lifting crane named the Versabar 10,000. Its golden yellow arched gantries stand 255 feet tall, which is almost the length of a football field. In order to remove the ship, it was cut into eight sections, a process which took over two years. The last section was removed on October 25, 2021. Originally built to install and decommission oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, the Versabar is the largest lifting vessel ever built in the United States. And there it stands across from Driftwood Beach, shining golden in the sun.
So the golden Versabar salvaged sections of the Golden Ray near the Golden Isles of Georgia. Golden.
So the golden Versabar salvaged sections of the Golden Ray near the Golden Isles of Georgia. Golden.
Golden arches of the Golden Isle
Where will this massive crane go next?
There were quite a few people on Driftwood Beach while we were there. It's easy to see why this beach is a popular place, for people and for wildlife. Sea turtles come here to lay their eggs, so sandy places are roped off to protect the nesting areas. With its sandy shoreline littered with sculpted sun bleached trees, Driftwood Beach is a wonderland of natural beauty.
A sea turtle nesting area
Some sanderlings search the sand for a snack
A driftwood resting area
Pelicans flying in formation
Ancient trees lying half submerged in the Atlantic Ocean
Texture, twists, and tunnels
These ghostly trees are still standing, but for how long before they too topple and fall?
We enjoyed our visit to Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, GA. Someday we hope to return and wander this remarkable beach again.
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA
