News Release

Re-Opening of Cumberland Island Mainland Museum after Hurricane Irma

Date: September 29, 2017
Contact: Jill Hamilton-Anderson, 912-882-4336  x 257

St. Marys, Ga. – Cumberland Island National Seashore will reopen the Cumberland Island Mainland Museum after being closed by the impacts of Hurricane Irma. Visitation to Cumberland Island remains closed due to ongoing efforts to clean up storm debris and the destruction of the mainland docks used to ferry visitors to the island.

After Hurricane Matthew closed the museum for an extended amount of time last year, staff was able to recraft exhibits to reflect a broader scope of island history. Now visitors are able to view what the hearth of a slave cabin looked like from the island’s Stafford Plantation, or see the inside of the African American Baptist Church located on the northern most stretch of the island. They can learn the importance of the island’s geography to the War of 1812 or the human history dating back thousands of years. One of the exhibits entitled "Voyage to Cumberland" highlights the rich cultural history of the island during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Original artifacts such as furniture and paintings from the Carnegie-era island homes will be on display as well as several carriages dating back to the turn of the 20th century. Discover what life was like for the country’s famed families when they escaped the urban north to the island’s quiet shores. Learn what it took to bring a lifestyle accustomed in the north to this remote southeastern island. How did people traverse the island’s unique landscape and geography? What did they do for fun?

Museum entrance is FREE and is open daily from 1 pm to 4 pm. The museum is located at 129 Osborne St, in St. Marys, Ga.

Are you passionate about local history and your national parks? Join the Volunteers-in-Parks team at Cumberland Island National Seashore. Apply to serve as a Museum Docent at the park’s mainland museum at www.volunteer.gov, keyword search “Cumberland”.

Cumberland Island is the largest barrier island off the coast of Georgia, encompassing more than 36,000 acres of maritime forests, salt marsh and beaches. The island is also home to over 9,800 acres of congressionally designated wilderness. The island’s natural and cultural resources provide a rich and diverse habitat for wildlife and offer a glimpse into the long history of coastal Georgia. The seashore is accessible by pedestrian-only passenger ferry from the historic community of St. Marys.
 

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