When we imagine vacationing during the Gilded Age, we might picture the palaces of New Port.
But some elites craved a more rustic life.
Hi everyone, Ken here, welcome to "ThisHouse"! Today we head off to Jekyll Island, Georgia
to explore the Rockefellers’ rustic cottage.
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William Rockefeller was one of the wealthiest Americans to ever live, he co founded the
Standard Oil Company with his brother, John D Rockefeller who is still widely believed
to have been the wealthiest American of all time.
William went on to build luxurious mansions, some of which we have covered in previous
videos such as Rockwood Hall which will be linked down below in the video description.
As he and his wife, Almira, approached their golden years together, the couple grew tired
of the never ending societal pressure to have the fanciest homes, the most expensive clothes,
and the most lavish of parties.
They searched for an escape where they could live a simple life around like minded people.
That’s when they headed down to Jekyll Island, Georgia where a group of millionaires had
established an enclave of rustic, more comfortable homes.
Instead of building marble palaces in the likeness of Newport, they built shingle style
and queen anne style homes.
In place of stuffy ballrooms which required 3 piece suits and corsets, large verandahs
welcomed bare feet.
This was exactly the lifestyle the Rockefellers had longed for.
In 1905, They purchased the former home of Gordon McKay, a successful business man who
had constructed a shingle style house which he had named “Indian Mound” believing
that he had built his home over a native burial mound, more about that later.
The Rockefellers were quick to renovate the house to accommodate their large family, including
space for their 17 grand children to visit.
They updated the home to the Queen Anne style, being careful not to create anything ostentatious.
Covered porches were added all the way around the house to allow the family to connect with
the natural beauty which surrounded it.
Even though conveniences such as electricity were becoming increasingly popular at the
time, they chose to remain off the grid using gas lamps for lighting and coal to heat their
stove.
The interior, while classically styled, was not to be overbearing- with comfortable proportions
meant to facilitate family activities instead of entertaining friends.
As we can see in the floor plan, the house was laid out like a typical middle class house
of the time, with only a very small kitchen.
The Rockefellers didn’t have to rely on an army of servants to keep the house running,
they could share an intimate meal together or ride their bicycles down to the country
club for a bite to eat.
Being of such stature, they still were not able to shake their social responsibilities.
Instead of placing their fancy attire in storage or sending staff to fetch their wardrobes
from New York, Almira had a dumbwaiter installed so she could hoist her luggage upstairs with
ease.
Regarding the second floor, both William and Almira had their own bedrooms as was common
for the Victorian era.
While Almira’s was larger, William had a private porch where he would smoke cigars
before calling it a night.
The couple enjoyed wintering in the house for the rest of their lives, passing it on
to the next generation of Rockefellers.
With the passing of their estate, Almira departed wisdom in a letter to their daughter, Emma.
“… do not wear yourself out over entertaining.
It is not worthwhile.
All this rush of entertaining is nonsense.”
These words came from a lady who wore necklaces which were more expensive than skyscrapers,
who competed with the Astors and Vanderbilts in her earlier years.
Who had palaces with marble halls, all of which she gladly traded for more one on one
time with her family.
By 1947, the world had changed.
Jekyll Island was no longer the quaint retreat it once was and the heirs sold the home.
Later on, archaeological excavations were carried out to investigate the claims that
the house had been built on a burial mound, only to find out that it was a shell midden,
essentially an ancient landfill full of food waste and human excrement.
In present day, the house has been restored and opened to the public as a house museum.
If you have ever visited, I would love to hear about your experience down below in the
comments section.
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