St. Marys Vacation Homes

Dungeness on Cumberland Island, Georgia, is a ruined mansion that is part of a historic district that was the home of several families significant in American history. James Oglethorpe first built on Cumberland Island in 1736, building a hunting lodge that he named Dungeness. Oglethorpe named the place after Dungeness, in England. The next Dungeness was the legacy of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, who had acquired 11,000 acres of island land in exchange for a bad debt. His widow built a four-story tabby mansion in 1803, over a Timucuan shell mound. During the War of 1812 the island was occupied by the British, who used the house as a headquarters.
In 1818 Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee, a dashing cavalry commander during the Revolutionary War and father of Robert E. Lee, stayed at the house until his death on March 25, 1818, cared for by Greene's daughter Louisa, and was laid to rest in nearby cemetery with full military honors provided by an American fleet stationed at St. Marys, Georgia. The house was abandoned during the U.S. Civil War and burned in 1866.
In the 1880s the property was purchased by Thomas M. Carnegie, brother of Andrew Carnegie, who began to build a new mansion on the site. The 59-room Queen Anne style mansion and grounds were completed after Carnegie's death in 1886. His wife Lucy continued to live at Dungeness and built other estates for her children, including Greyfield for Margaret Carnegie, Plum Orchard for George Lauder Carnegie, and Stafford Plantation. By this time, the Carnegies owned 90% of the island.
The Carnegies moved out of Dungeness in 1925. In 1959 the Dungeness mansion was destroyed by fire, alleged to be arson. The ruins are today preserved by the National Park Service as part of Cumberland Island National Seashore. They were acquired by the Park Service in 1972.

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Our top choices for St. Marys holiday homes

Holiday Home in St. Marys

Brandon L.

HK$3,148 total

includes taxes & fees

11 Mar - 12 Mar

Holiday Home in saint marys

Katherine T.

HK$2,447 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Mar - 9 Mar

Holiday Home in St. Marys

Janice F.

HK$2,942 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Mar - 9 Mar

1 bedroom, desk, iron/ironing board, free WiFi

Holiday Home in St Marys

Catherine

HK$1,882 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Mar - 9 Mar

Holiday Home in St Marys

Mary R.

HK$2,418 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Mar - 9 Mar

Holiday Home in Fernandina Beach

Greg B.

HK$3,269 total

includes taxes & fees

10 Mar - 11 Mar

Holiday Home in East End

Cheryl H.

HK$2,108 total

includes taxes & fees

5 Apr - 6 Apr

Holiday Home in Waverly

Michael M.

HK$3,504 total

includes taxes & fees

11 Mar - 12 Mar

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Top St. Marys Hotel Reviews

Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Jekyll Island

8/10 Good

"Very convenient "

Amelia Hotel at the Beach

4/10 Poor

"Location is great. Staff is great. This place has definitely seen better days. We had peeling walls. It looked like mold in the bathroom. Definitely rundown. It is literally across the street from the beach but for the amount of money it was not worth it. Better to walk a few blocks. Breakfast was not great - thought that from other reviews - but basic. Powdered eggs, breads. No fresh fruit or anything special. "

Seaside Amelia Inn

10/10 Excellent

"I only stayed one night passing through on my way back to SC. I was in a partial oceanview which was excellent! It was on the side of the hotel but the ocean is so close that it didnt feel "partial". The breakfast was kind of gross tbh (the usual weird scrambled eggs, dried out waffles and bacon, etc) but the rest of the place was nice and made up for it. Parking is free and very convenient in an attached underground parking garage, Sandbar Restaurant next door was awesome and the beach is so close you could throw a rock at it. Great place!"

Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Jacksonville Airport

8/10 Good

"The hotel was clean and in good condition. The bed was really comfortable. The lights in the room were too bright. I would have preferred lamps. They advertised an airport shuttle and it was broken. When I checked in, the person at desk said she would call me in about 20 minutes to let me know if it was running. I went out for dinner. I stopped at desk to check and that’s when she told me it wasn’t running. The breakfast was sub par. "

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