Jekyll Island in Glynn County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Hollybourne Cottage

Taking Care of Family

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, March 9, 2022

1. Hollybourne Cottage Marker

Inscription.
With a wife and nine children, Charles Stewart Maurice quickly decided accommodations at the Clubhouse would not suffice. In 1890, he built Hollybourne as a home away from home for their winter stays here on the island.

Maurice was a bridge builder and Hollybourne makes use of his innovative engineering techniques. In the attic is a truss system like that found on bridges. This allows for large open interior spaces without apparent support. The building hangs from its upper stories.

Hollybourne is architecturally the most unusual structure in the historic district. It was constructed of tabby, a local building material dating to colonial times. No other structure in the cottage colony makes use of this ancient material, a mixture of oyster shells, Lime, water, and sand.

Did you know? Because Charles Stewart Maurice convinced his architect, William H. Day, to incorporate bridge-building techniques in the design of this home, Jekyll Island Club employees called the house "compromise cottage."

Erected by Jekyll Island Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Bridges & Viaducts • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.

Location. 31° 3.737′ N,

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81° 25.405′ W. Marker is on Jekyll Island, Georgia, in Glynn County. Marker is on Riverview Drive, 0.2 miles south of Stable Road, on the left when traveling south. Marker is located directly in front of Hollybourne Cottage. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 379 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island GA 31527, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Solterra Dove Cote (within shouting distance of this marker); Captain Clarks Cottage (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Active Life (about 400 feet away); Villa Ospo (about 400 feet away); Villa Marianna (about 500 feet away); Plantation Oak (about 500 feet away); Preserving the Legacy (about 500 feet away); Cherokee Cottage (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jekyll Island.

Regarding Hollybourne Cottage. Contributing property, Jekyll Island Club Historic District, National Register of Historic Places #72000385.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Jekyll Island Club Historic District

Also see . . .
1. Explore the History of Hollybourne — The Bridge Builder's Cottage.

Originally, this nine-bedroom living space (12,271 square feet!) accommodated Maurice, his wife, Charlotte, and their nine children. Maurice’s

2. Marker detail: Charles Stewart Maurice
bridgebuilding experience factored into the design: large open rooms on the ground floor, no support beams cluttering the space, and wooden trusses with long steel bolts supporting the second floor.

(Submitted on July 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Hollybourne.

Built in 1890 by Charles Stewart Maurice, this home housed the only family to be associated with the Jekyll Island Club from its inception to its final dissolution in 1948. The style was coined Jacobean or pseudo-Jacobean, it was an early example of an eclectic Tudor style built from about 1890 until 1940. There are Flemish gables, paired chimney flues, and patterned stonework.

(Submitted on July 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Jekyll Island Club Historic District.

The club thrived through the early 20th century; its members came from many of the world's wealthiest families, most notably the Morgans, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts. The complex was designated a historic landmark in 1978.

(Submitted on July 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

4. The Ghost of Peg Maurice.

Why does Hollybourne, which once rang with the laughter of children and reverberated with joy now sit solemnly, silently alone? It is certainly

3. Marker detail: Attic Truss System
In the attic is a truss system like that found on bridges.
not beyond repair; in fact, it is probably one of the better-constructed cottages on the island, as Mr. Maurice persuaded his architect to use bridge-building techniques. New shingles and a heavy, nearly-opaque glass door were put in place many years ago. But this once-grand lady is aging... crumbling... weeping... why?

(Submitted on July 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

5. Union Bridge Company.

The Union Bridge company was formed in 1884 as a merger of several other bridge-building firms. Partners included Charles Stewart Maurice of Athens, PA. In 1900, The Union Bridge Company was purchased by the American Bridge Company in a consolidation of 24 US bridge building companies.

(Submitted on July 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, March 9, 2022

4. Hollybourne Cottage Marker

(looking east from Riverview Drive • Hollybourne Cottage in background)

Hollybourne Cottage (<i>southwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, March 9, 2022

5. Hollybourne Cottage (southwest elevation)

Hollybourne Cottage (<i>northwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, March 9, 2022

6. Hollybourne Cottage (northwest elevation)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 91 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.