Dungeness (Cumberland Island, Georgia)

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

These ruins on Cumberland Island are all that is left of Dungeness, a mansion that was destroyed in a 1959 fire and is part of a historic district that was the home of several families significant in American history. This includes James Oglethorpe, who founded the Georgia colony, Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee, a cavalry commander during the Revolutionary War and father of Robert E. Lee, and the Carnegie family. In 1959, the Dungeness mansion was destroyed by fire, a fire that was believed to be an act of arson. The ruins are today preserved by the National Park Service as part of Cumberland Island National Seashore. They were acquired by the Park Service in 1972. The main house comprises a portion of the larger historic district, which includes servant's quarters, utility buildings, laundries, cisterns, and a variety of other structures. The district forms a planned, landscaped ensemble. The most significant supporting structure is the Tabby House or Nathanael Greene Cottage, which dates to the Greene family's tenure.

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Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

James Oglethorpe, who founded the Georgia colony, built the first stage of this historic mansion on Cumberland Island in 1736. In that year, he built a hunting lodge that he named Dungeness in reference to an English county seat of which he was the owner. There was also a post office near the southern end of the island and he also built two forts. The next version of Dungeness was the legacy of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, who had acquired 11,000 acres land in exchange for a bad debt. In 1803, his widow Catharine Littlefield Greene built a four-story tabby mansion over a Timucuan shell mound. During the War of 1812, the island was occupied by the British, who used the house as a headquarters.In 1818, Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee, a cavalry commander during the Revolutionary War and father of Robert E. Lee, stayed at the house until his death on March 25, 1818. He was cared for by Greene's daughter Louisa, and was laid to rest in nearby cemetery with full military honors provided by an American fleet stationed at St. Marys, Georgia. The house was abandoned during the Civil War and burned in 1866.

In the 1880s, the property was purchased by Thomas M. Carnegie, brother of Andrew Carnegie. He began to build a new mansion on the site. The 59-room Queen Anne-style mansion and grounds were completed after Carnegie's death in 1886. His wife Lucy continued to live at Dungeness and built other estates for her children, including Greyfield for Margaret Carnegie, Plum Orchard for George Lauder Carnegie, and Stafford Plantation. By this time, the Carnegies owned 90 percent of the island.

The Carnegies moved out of Dungeness in 1925 because of costly upkeep. But the estate was maintained through Lucy Carnegie's estate. In 1959, the Dungeness mansion was destroyed by fire. It's widely thought to have been arson. The ruins remain, though, and include what is called Tabby House, the oldest house on Cumberland Island and the only building the Carnegies spared when they rebuilt the area from the ruins of the Greene estate.

Greyfield is still owned by the Carnegie family and still operates as a hotel. It is the only way to stay overnight on the island. Plum Orchard is owned and operated by the National Park Service. Stafford is still owned by the Carnegie family, and is private property.

Sources

Dungeness, Georgia Place Names. Accessed July 28th 2020. http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/d.pdf.

Dungeness (Cumberland Island, Georgia), Digital Library of Georgia. Accessed July 28th 2020. http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/meta/html/dlg/larc/meta_dlg_larc_jlc0344.html?Welcome&Welcome.

Dungeness Ruins - St. Mary's, Georgia, Atlas Obscura. Accessed July 28th 2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dungeness-ruins.