2022 Cumberland Island - Dungeness Mansion Grounds

Dungeness Mansion Ruins Circa 1896

My first ever visit to Cumberland Island on Friday May 13, 2022 was with a group of outdoor enthusiasts from the Lowcountry. Our guide Jill Moore booked the tickets on the 9 a.m. ferry to Cumberland Island, and we lodged the night before at the historic Riverview Hotel in St. Mary's, Georgia.  Upon reaching Cumberland Island, all 36,000-acres of it, a logical first stop is the Dungeness Mansion ruins since they are near to the ferry landing. The history that exudes from the stone skeleton structure tells of a time when gentle folks found barrier island lifestyle to be very appealing. They may have been on to something!!

Our guide tells the history of Dungeness

Cumberland Island is famous for being owned by the prestigious Carnegie Family, but Dungeness was home to other prominent families before that. British Parliament member James Oglethorpe built a hunting lodge on this spot in 1736, then Revolutionary War hero Nathaneal Greene resided here and owned 11,000-acres. Henry Lee resided there in 1818 and was the father of Robert E. Lee, and then in the 1880's Thomas Carnegie built the Dungeness Mansion that still shares his legacy with visitors today. These ruins definately reminded me of the Barnsley Manor ruins in the foothills of Georgia.

Tabby ruins and marshy vistas at Dungeness

The remains of many outbuildings sprawl across the Dungeness grounds with cisterns, tabby walls, brick chimneys and distinctive gates. The entire site is groomed by the National park Service today which makes for easy walking, but it also displays how grand the courtyard for the mansion would have been. Considering that this is an island jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean and not particularly close to a port on the mainland, this demonstrates a strong resolve and deep pockets to achieve such an outpost. To this day, there is a single road that connects one end of the island to the other, and sandy trails remain the

Historic Photo of Dungeness Mansion

most common routes traveled.

To view other blog entries from Cumberland Island click on Beach Treasures - Wild Horses - Wildlife Sightings

An active Osprey nest at ruins