From Brittany to Jekyll Island, GA
Many of us are familiar with the French connection to Louisiana. But did you know about France’s ties to the Georgia Coast?
The story begins with Christophe DuBignon, a French aristocrat and naval captain from the Brittany region in northern France. As a known loyalist to Louis XVI, during the French revolution he, like many other French men and women, fled the country for fear of being sent to the guillotine because of the aristocratic status. The DuBignon family embarked on the long journey to the Port of Savannah, arriving to Sapelo Island initially, and later purchasing Jekyll Island, making the Georgia coast their new home.
DuBignon adapted to plantation life as he quickly learned that there was a lot of money to be made in the cotton industry and in slave trading, particularly to the markets in Texas, Florida and in South Carolina. The business was profitable for some years. But the company took a sharp decline after a series of events including destruction by hurricanes, British attacks on the island during the War of 1812, and the British policy of slave liberation- nearly half of the slave labor force left Jekyll with the British as freemen and women.
After DuBignon’s death in 1825, his descendants collaborated to manage the plantation which was viable for a short time. However, the role as cotton planters once again came to a halt, this time for good, when the family was forced to evacuate the island because of the Civil War.
The reconstruction era meant that it was time for a new set of ideas on what to do with the land. John Eugene DuBignon, great-grandson of Christophe DuBignon, proposed using the property as an exclusive members only hunting destination. He and his brother-in-law worked together to invite the social elite with names such as J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers to become investors. Once the plans and negotiations were all finalized, John Eugene then sold his share to what is now the Jekyll Island Club.
Before leaving the organization, John Eugene DuBignon had this farmhouse built (shown above) as a place to house overflow guests and as a residence for the superintendent.
Following this trend several other, more exclusive, cottages such as Crane’s Cottage (shown above), were added to the property to house members and their families.
Sans Souci, which in French means worry-free, is considered to be one of the nation’s first condominiums. These private condos provided a space where guests could have access to a game of billiards, views of the water, and exquisite meals prepared by the French chef, yet at the same time have some peace and quiet.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to read about how the du Pont family (as in du Pont paints) made their way from France to Cuba.
