Southern Camping Trip 2024 / Day 13

 St. Mary's KOA Campground

St. Mary's, Georgia

February 12, 2024 

Today's destination.

Marc-  We had an early start today to get to the ferry dock in downtown St. Mary's at 08:00 near the National Park Visitor's Center.  We did not miss the boat and the crossing was calm with warm and sunny weather.  Our Guide greeted us at the Island dock.  The day long tour involved visiting the above named locations on Cumberland Island with a tour guide explaining all the sights and all the wildlife we met on the way (bobcat, raccoon, numerous wild horses, wild turkeys, and armadillos).  Most of the horses were seen on the road and one decided to lay down and roll over several times in the road before moving on.  Our guide also described the 4 white deer (called piebald, they're not albino) that live on the Island  (unfortunately we did not see any).   Most of the deer are white tailed deer.  The northernmost stop was the First African Baptist Church where John and Caroline Kennedy were married (the perfect spot to avoid paparazzi).  She described the secrecy involved in getting the family guests out to the Island (they thought they were just going to a party) and then how the bride and groom were left at the church following the ceremony without a ride after everyone else went to the local inn for the reception.  The newlyweds ended up getting a ride from the Park Service trash truck to the hotel.

Our next stop was Plum Orchard, a thirty room mansion constructed by Lucy Carnegie in 1898 for her son George and his wife Margaret.  Lucy lived in another Carnegie mansion at the Southern end of the Island.  Unfortunately Lucy's castle was burned by a poacher who was caught killing Carnegie animals.  Much of the tour involved how the Carnegie family transferred 95% of the Island to the National Park Service thereby preserving a great place.

White deer of Cumberland Island

Our first horse encounter.  He wanted to play chicken but eventually moved on.

Local Inhabitants

A 500 year old live oak tree.

Another horse.

Armadillo

First African Baptist Church (a.k.a. - the Kennedy Wedding Chapel).

Plum Orchard

Current home to National Park Volunteers.

Entry lobby.

Formal dining.

Living Room.

Cool Furniture.

Upstairs hallway.

Kids room at the end of that long hallway.

Plum Orchard swimming pool and squash court.

A National Park Ranger gave us a lecture at the end of the day about the native people who once inhabited the Island and how they lived.  The most remarkable fact was that most of the Timucua men were 7 feet tall and the women were 6-1/2 feet tall at a time when Europeans were 5 feet tall.  She also described how the Europeans came and colonized the area.

The Cumberland Ferry.