What do Beer, Golf, the Federal Reserve Have in Common?

If you guessed Jekyll Island, Georgia, you’d be correct!

Each got their start here on the island. Learn how (and much more) below!

You’re not the first to wish to spend lazy days enjoying Jekyll Island’s beaches, biking and walking paths, golfing, and more. The island has been a vacation spot for more than 3,500 years. Its earliest settlers were Native Americans who traveled to the island to hunt, fish, and gather shellfish.

While we all may have heard of General James Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia in 1733, we might not have realized that it was he who named Jekyll Island after his friend, a financial banker of the young British colony, Sir Joseph Jekyll.

In 1735, trustees of the colony of Georgia granted one of Oglethorpe’s top military aides, William Horton, the entire island (you can still visit his Horton House today). Oglethorpe assigned him to protect Fort Frederica on nearby St. Simons Island, but Horton kept himself busy in other ways, too. In 1747, he began brewing beer on Jekyll, and his operation would become recognized as the state’s first brewery. So if you don’t think of beer when you think of Jekyll Island, think again!

The next prominent owner of Horton’s house was Christophe DuBignon, who bought property here in 1792 after after fleeing the French Revolution (you can still enter and view the DuBignon cemetery). After the Civil War, a pair of his descendants turned the family’s cotton plantation into a private hunting club for the country’s wealthiest individuals. In 1886 the island was purchased by the newly-formed Jekyll Island Club, and it quickly became a desirable retreat for families that represented ONE-SIXTH of the world’s wealth! Club members included such prominent figures as J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, Marshall Field, and William Rockefeller, who built the elegant Victorian Clubhouse and “cottages” that are still a part of today’s resort.

How did the Federal Reserve form here? Well, in 1910 Senator Nelson Aldrich convened a meeting of financial leaders on the island to plan a federal banking system. To keep their identities secret, he made them all arrive under the cover of night and use only their first names. This group, coined the “First-Name Club,” drafted the forerunner of today’s Federal Reserve.

Golf as we know it was shaped here, too. In 1924, the United States Golf Association chose Jekyll Island as its testing ground for golf. Their tests resulted in the use of a lighter ball and steel shafts instead of hickory ones. These developments changed the game of golf forever, so it is fitting that Jekyll Island is such a popular golf destination today.

In an important aspect of U.S. technological history, the first transcontinental telephone call occurred on January 25, 1915, and included President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, D.C., Alexander Graham Bell in New York, and among others, AT&T President Theodore Newton Vail on…you guessed it – Jekyll Island, Georgia! For this call, over 3,400 miles of wire were used to connect the east and west coasts.

The Club Era eventually came to an end due to World War II. Today, the entire island is a state park, but its historic charm is still tangible. As you stroll or bike around the island, the paths are well-marked with plaques explaining its history. But don’t take my word for it – come to Jekyll Island yourself and let its history come alive!

Live the high life in this resort on our Jewels of the South in 9 Days Tour!