Dungeness

Dungeness is a ruined mansion and historic district on Cumberland Island, Georgia, in the United States. It was the home of several families significant in American history. The mansion was named after a nearby sandy spit at the southern end of the island, first recorded in a land grant petition in 1765 and almost certainly named after the Dungeness headland on the south coast of England. The first Dungeness house was the legacy of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, who acquired 11,000 acres of island land in 1783 in exchange for a bad debt. In 1800 his widow Catharine Miller, by then remarried, built a four-story tabby mansion 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 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 a 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 Ricketson, 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. The main house comprises a portion of the larger historic district, which includes servant's quarters, utility buildings, laundries, cisterns, and a variety of other structures. The district forms a planned, landscaped ensemble. The most significant supporting structure is the Tabby House or Nathanael Greene Cottage, which dates to the Greene family's tenure.

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. The mansion was named after a nearby sandy spit at the southern end of the island, first recorded in a land grant petition in 1765 and almost certainly named after the Dungeness headland, on the south coast of England. The first Dungeness house was the legacy of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, who had acquired 11,000 acres (45 km2) of island land in 1783 in exchange for a bad debt. In 1800, his widow Catharine Miller (by then remarried) built a four-story tabby mansion 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 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 a 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 Ricketson, 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. The main house comprises a portion of the larger historic district, which includes servant's quarters, utility buildings, laundries, cisterns, and a variety of other structures. The district forms a planned, landscaped ensemble. The most significant supporting structure is the Tabby House or Nathanael Greene Cottage, which dates to the Greene family's tenure.

• 1972

  The ruins are acquired by the National Park Service.

• 1959

  The Dungeness mansion is destroyed by fire, alleged to be arson.

• 1925

  The Carnegies move out of Dungeness.

• 1886

  The 59-room Queen Anne style mansion and grounds are completed after Carnegie's death.

• 1880

  Thomas M. Carnegie purchases the property and begins to build a new mansion.

• 1866

  The house burns.

• 1861

  The house is abandoned during the U.S. Civil War.

• 1818

  Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee dies at the house on March 25.

• 1812

  During the War of 1812 the British occupy the island and use the house as a headquarters.

• 1800

  Catharine Miller builds a four-story tabby mansion over a Timucuan shell mound.

• 1783

  Nathanael Greene acquires 11,000 acres of island land in exchange for a bad debt.

• 1765

  Land grant petition first records the name Dungeness for a nearby sandy spit.

1. 1Dungeness (Cumberland Island, Georgia) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Dungeness - Wikidatawikidata.org