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Cumberland Island National SeashoreDungeness ruins and fountain
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Cumberland Island National Seashore
Places To Go
Bakc view of Dungeness ruins
NPS Photo
Back view of Dungeness ruins.
Dungeness Ruins

Revolutionary War Hero General Nathanial Greene purchased land on Cumberland Island in 1783. Following his death, his widow Catherine Greene, constructed a four-story tabby home that she named Dungeness. Thomas Carnegie and his wife Lucy began building another Dungeness on the original foundation in 1884. The Carnegie’s Dungeness burned in 1959 and today only the ruins remain on the site.
Dungeness Mansion
NPS Photo
Dungeness Mansion circa 1950
Plum Orchard Mansion

Plum Orchard is an 1898 Georgian Revival mansion building by Lucy Carnegie for her son, George and his wife, Margaret Thaw. This mansion was donated to the National Park Foundation by the Carnegie family in 1971. The contribution of Plum Orchard helped achieve congressional approval for establishing Cumberland Island National Seashore.
 
Plum Orchard Mansion
NPS Photo
Plum Orchard Mansion
 
First African Baptist Church in the Settlement
NPS Photo
First African Baptist Church in the Settlement
First African Baptist Church in the Settlement

In the 1890’s, The Settlement was established for African American workers. The First African Baptist Church was established in 1893 and then rebuilt in the 1930’s. It was the site of the September 1996 wedding of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
 
Interior of First African Baptist Church
NPS Photo
Interior of the First African Baptist Church
Osprey perched on the east coast of the island.  

Did You Know?
Cumberland Island provides important habitat for a number of species including threatened and endangered shore birds such as American Oystercatchers, Least Terns, and Wilson’s Plovers. The island is an important stopover point for migrating birds on the transatlantic migratory flyway.

Last Updated: August 16, 2006 at 14:42 EST