Plum Orchard (Cumberland Island)

Introduction

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Plum Orchard is an estate located in the middle of the western shore of Cumberland Island, Georgia. The estate and surrounding area are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can take a free tour of the 22,000-square-foot mansion. On display are the architecture, furnishings, and machinery of the mansion. The site offers a glimpse into Edwardian High Society at the turn of the 20th century and the importance of recreation, indulgence, and rejuvenation in nature. But further exploration tells the story of a family who valued the island, and their time spent with friends and family there. The site is 7 miles north of the Sea Camp dock. There is no drinking water in route. Free tours are offered.

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Backstory and Context

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Plum Orchard was designed by Peabody and Stearns for George Lauder Carnegie, a son of Thomas M. Carnegie and named after his uncle, Scottish industrialist George Lauder, it was formally dedicated on Oct. 6, 1898. Peabody and Stearns also designed various additions to the mansion in the several following years, probably in 1906. The Classical Revival-style mansion includes a rare squash tennis court.

It is a very large three-part, 255-foot-by-95-foot, two-and-a-half-story mansion with a colossal Ionic portico, piazza, and round-arched windows. It was constructed of wood with a stucco finish. Although it has been altered, it retains its classical symmetry. The house served as the couple's primary winter residence until George Lauder died in 1921.

After he died, his widow, Margaret Copley Thaw, remarried and moved to Africa. Most of the original furnishings were sold, and furniture from Dungeness was brought in to furnish the house. The house was then occupied by the Johnston family, from Nancy Trovillo Carnegie Heaver/Johnston's branch of the family. The estate is now part of Cumberland Island National Seashore.

Sources

On Island - Cumberland Island National Seashore, U.S. National Park Service. Accessed July 28th 2020. https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/on-island.htm.

Plum Orchard Mansion, List of Classified Structures. Accessed July 28th 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20110521221843/http://www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=GA&PARK=CUIS&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=1.