Back to Main Haunted Hotels Page
31527
912-635-2600
A playground on one of the Golden Isles off the coast of Georgia, Jekyll Island is a historic monument in its own right. Constructed in 1886, the resort has grown continuously since its inception as a retreat for a select consortium of the nation's top businessmen, including such names as Astor, Rockefeller, Morgan, Vanderbilt, and Pulitzer. From its original clubhouse there sprang a village of apartment blocks and summer cottages. Alongside these "cottages" - in reality vast and luxurious mansions - are golf courses, marinas and sports facilities of all kinds.
Today the Jekyll Island Club retains the grand tradition begun in the closing years of the last century. It radiates an atmosphere of luxury, exclusivity, and excellent service. The public rooms and guest accommodations are of a Victorian elegance and offer every modern comfort. The gourmet Grand Dining Room specializes in seafood; the deli-style Cafe Solterra will pack guests a picnic basket; and JP's Pub offers nightly entertainment.
Surprisingly, the club's grounds also house its own historic district with daily guided tours investigating the original consortium's homes and the first owner's house, the 1824 DuBignon Cottage. Guests can visit the Rockefellers' cottage and other buildings including a museum and the 1904 chapel with its tiffany glass - all fully furnished with original and period items.
The ghost at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel is Samuel Spencer, a guest at the club in the early 1900s. Spencer, president of the Southern Railroad Company, decided to join his fellow tycoons on vacation at the new and luxurious club on Jekyll Island. Enjoying the pampering that was- and still is - a hallmark of this extremely homey resort, Spencer developed his own routine for what became his annual stay. He insisted on being accommodated in the "choice" apartment in the Clubhouse, an apartment with a vast marble fireplace, massive mahogany furniture, and a wide veranda offering open sea views. He also demanded that the Wall Street Journal, ironed smooth and folded just so, be delivered with his morning coffee. Only then could the railroad magnate settle in to enjoy his vacation amid the sea breezes of Jekyll Island. This morning ritual continued happily for several years.
Then one day in 1906, Spencer was killed in a crash between two of his own trains. Ever since, guests occupying Spencer's preferred apartment have noticed several strange things that occur regularly each morning. First, they find their morning paper folded differently, or opened at the business pages. Second, they find their morning coffee poured, or a full cup "sipped on", when no one else is nearby. It seems that Samuel Spencer enjoyed his vacations here so much he still comes back.
| RATES | ||
| $ 119 and up | ||
|
||