There were more buildings on Jekyll than we could tour in the time we had, more views than we could capture and more thoughts than I could articulate. I cannot express the emotion that sometimes rose upon looking at walls that couldn’t talk, but certainly told stories in one form or another. I could take pictures though and I will share some of them.
I don’t wish to bore this audience so I will try to be very brief in explanation and simply publish for your observation. If I trusted my photography more, I would say nothing at all.
Crane Cottage
This is where our room was. (Second floor, the three windows just right of center in the picture above) The cottage belonged to the R.T. Crane family who owned a pipe manufacturing company based in Chicago, so though it’s quite old, it is well equipped with bathing niceties.
I will divide these up a bit as the building is large and has several distinct features.
Our room:
The cottage was full of lovely windows and doors with the original glass, woodwork and locking mechanisms. The absence of screens was somehow settling and the view was always restful.
The Lobby:
I loved these warm wood floors and the pattern they were laid in. So many details made this place interesting and fun to explore. The last picture is actually the hallway outside our room and the doorway leading to the second floor porch pictured here.
The Gardens:
On the south side, between the cottage and the Club was a well manicured garden. Perfectly suited for weddings and receptions which are quite common. We observed a young bride to be discussing details of her upcoming nuptials with a coordinator. The garden at Crane, added to the courtyard and the nearness of several fantastic views and settings for a ceremony is simply perfect if you have the money. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have options like that 15 years ago when we were planning our wedding. I don’t think I would change a thing though.
The last picture here is looking down from our room at the small reflecting pool situated just beyond the flower garden outside the front entrance.
The Courtyard:
We ate our lunch here when we first arrived (you can see our table in the second picture just to the left of the fountain) and it was a pleasant preview of the food, service and comfort of the rest of our visit. I absolutely adored the Italian Renaissance arches and arched ceilings of the courtyard porch.
There is a bit more history of the Crane Cottage here.
The Lions
I got very caught up in these two hand carved beasts…they were guarding a cottage that no longer stands, so though quite intimidating I gathered they aren’t very good at their job. The cottage belonged to Edwin Gould who lost his son in a hunting accident and never returned to Jekyll. I can only assume the cottage died from abandonment.
Horton House
To save space and typing, here is a bit of history on this house. The link also explains a bit about “Tabby” which is the building material used in the house. I tried to capture a bit of it in this first picture. The white gravel looking clutter all over the floor is bits of shell. The last picture is the old iron gate leading to the Du Bignon family cemetery on the property.
I couldn’t help but stare and wonder at those walls. Looking in the upstairs corner windows and thinking it was probably a bedroom. A young boy or girl probably treasured their privacy there, looked out that window and kept treasures in small boxes under a bed close by. How odd what time will do to a place and how forgotten each of us becomes. You can imagine how impatient Kris must have felt waiting on me and the camera in the heat while my mind wandered and he swatted bees. He just smiled though. It was my birthday present after all.
The Bridge
Whenever we were on the east or north side of the island, if Kris or I lifted the camera to our face, it was as if it were magnetically drawn to this bridge. It spans the waterways between Brunswick and St. Simon’s Island and it’s just too incredibly handsome. We crossed it a couple of times and if it had been a bit more convenient I would have stopped and taken pictures all along it. It was so impressive from wherever we were. I was almost disappointed in myself for admiring it so much with it’s modern lines and obvious mastery of a much more current engineering art, when all around me there was old, quaint and natural to be impressed with. I apologize, but I can’t help my crushes.
For more information about the bridge: Sydney Lanier Bridge
The Pier:
At the top point of the island, the pier doesn’t stand out as a hot spot of the island. A middle ground in terms of sights, views and activity, but it’s different. It’s arches are worn by weather, and it’s eastern end is sagging, but like much of the island it cast shadows of something beyond it’s own value. It provided shade, a spot to watch a few dolphins, capture a few pictures of the light house at St. Simons and some horseback riders strolling along the beach. We stayed there much longer than I thought we would and I don’t regret a moment. It’s curving walkway and arching roof line dramatized by the afternoon sunshine were too appealing for the lens and I attempted to bring some of it home.
My favorite pictures are yet to come and even among the many above I had to whittle down to something more manageable. If I could have brought home the things the windows and walls contained, the rough feel of the cool tabby at Horton, the dancing sunlight on the courtyard ceiling at Crane, the breeze under the shelter of the pier and the waving distorted reflection on the antique glass I would. Instead I’ll tuck them into layers of memory and hope they hold their shape as well as the real thing.