As a partner of Kellogg & Maurice and the Union Bridge Company, Charles Stewart Maurice helped to construct many road and railway bridges that became part of the historic fabric of their communities.

Hollybourne Cottage, the vacation retreat Maurice built on Jekyll Island in 1890 with the help of architect William Day, was designed to be an architectural wonder of its own. This May, in honor of Historic Preservation Month, the Jekyll Island Museum will be opening the bridge-builder’s island mansion up for a limited number of exclusive tours.

Kellogg & Maurice, the company Maurice co-founded in 1871 with partner Charles Kellogg, was a pioneer in iron bridge construction and the second company in the country to build a steel bridge. The company constructed the 3rd Avenue Elevated Railway in New York City (1878), the Smithfield Street Bridge across the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh (1883), as well as bridges in Nova Scotia and Brazil.
In 1884, Kellogg & Maurice merged with other companies to form the Union Bridge Company. This firm constructed many notable spans of the day, including a cantilever bridge crossing the Niagara Gorge. By the time Maurice retired in 1895, he had helped traverse many of the nation’s major waterways and had been instrumental in the construction of major landmarks around the country.

Hollybourne Cottage, the unique vacation retreat Maurice built on Jekyll Island, is just as noteworthy, but it is in need of preservation. That is why Hollybourne Cottage is the focus of the “Reclaiming Past Glories” tour offered by the Jekyll Island Museum this May in celebration of Historic Preservation Month.

“Of all of the cottages in Jekyll Island’s historic district, Hollybourne Cottage currently offers the most challenges to preservation,” remarked John Hunter, the Director of the Jekyll Island Museum. Hunter points out that remarkable progress has been made recently in stabilizing the building’s exterior. “From the shutters, to the porches, to the front door, to the roof, we have tackled some major projects in establishing the long-term stability of the structure. But on the inside we still have a long way to go. That’s why we normally do not allow public access to the interior of this really special cottage.”

Jekyll Island Museum Curator Gretchen Greminger, one of the guides leading the behind the scenes tours, agrees that it is exciting to be able to share this unique structure with the public. But she warned that guests should not expect to see a restored and furnished interior like the cottages that are part of other tours of the historic district. Greminger said that this Historic Preservation Month tour will proceed through the fabulous leaded glass doors of Hollybourne Cottage into the main foyer. Guests will visit the front parlor, the dining room, the gunroom, the kitchen, and the butler’s pantry.

The tour will focus on the preservation efforts that have gone into the building over the last 20 years and on the unique design of the cottage, which was influenced a great deal by Maurice’s background in bridge engineering. While learning about the problems affecting the home’s current condition, visitors will also have the opportunity to view historic photographs of the vacation retreat that will help to envision what it looked like in its original condition when it was a much-loved haven for Mr. and Mrs. Maurice and their nine children.

The “Reclaiming Past Glories” tour departs from the Jekyll Island Museum on Stable Road each Saturday from May 3-31, 2008 at 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm. The cost of the program is $10 for Adults, $5 for Children 6-12, and Free under 6. For more information, call the Jekyll Island Museum at 912-635-4036.

Tags: Hollybourne Cottage, jekyll island history tours, jekyll island museum, National Historic Preservation month, Reclaiming Past Glories, Stable Road
Posted in Beachscape, May 2008 | 1 Comment »

By Andrea Marroquin, Museum Specialist

In April of 1886, Marshall Field became a charter member of the Jekyll Island Club. Like many of Jekyll Island’s prominent Club Members, Field was a self-made man with humble beginnings. Born in 1834 near Conway, Mass., Field was the third of six children. When his father sold the family farm to his older brother, Field realized he would need to learn a trade. At 15, he obtained his first job as a clerk at a local dry goods shop, where his employer said that he would never be able to run a store. Nevertheless, at 21, he moved to Chicago and gained employment with the largest dry goods company in the city. He slept in the store to save his $400 annual salary, and became a partner by the time he married Nannie Douglas Scott in 1863. They would have two children together, Marshall Field, Jr. and Ethel Field. In 1865, Field opened a dry goods business with some other investors. The company soon moved to a prominent building on State Street known as the “Marble Palace.”

The six-story building burned down and $3.5 million of merchandise was lost, however, during the catastrophic Chicago Fire of 1871. Then, in 1873, the store reopened only to be
razed by fire again just five years later. It was determinedly rebuilt yet again. By 1881, Field had bought out the company. His store, “Marshall Field & Co.,” catered to fashionable middle and upper class women. He offered personal shoppers, unconditional refunds, home delivery, an interior decoration department, telephone services, a library, a nursery, and restful places to meet and socialize. His store was the first to offer in-store dining, as well as a bridal registry. When streetcars were introduced, Field also ensured the availability of convenient transportation. Field’s policy was, “Give the lady what she wants.” In 1887, Field also opened a 500,000 square foot wholesale store that sold items in bulk to retailers throughout the central and western United States. The small-town farm-boy had achieved big-time financial, social, and political success.

Hobnobbing on Jekyll Island, he frequented the Clubhouse and Fairbank Cottage along
with the nation’s other business leaders. In 1904, his name was put forward as a potential
Democratic Vice Presidential candidate, but he refused to consider the position. Field, widowed in 1896, was remarried to a longtime friend and neighbor, Delia Spencer Caton, in September of 1905. Field died a few months afterwards, on January 16, 1906, in New York City. He had developed a case of pneumonia from playing golf in Chicago on New Year’s Day.
At the time of his death, Marshall Field employed 12,000 people in Chicago. He was the wealthiest man in the city, one of the wealthiest in the country, and the richest merchant in the world. What was the secret of his success? Field left the following advice: 1) Never give a note,  2) Never buy stock on margin,  3) Don’t speculate,   4) Don’t borrow,  5) Don’t mortgage your business,  6) Always pay cash,  7) Sell on shorter time than your competitors,  8)Sell the same quality for less,  and 9) Hold your customers accountable for their obligations.

Field left a philanthropic legacy to the city of Chicago, as well. He helped found what would become the Art Institute of Chicago. He established the Field Museum of Natural
History. He also donated the original tract of land to the University of Chicago, a portion
of which is known today as Marshall Field. John Shedd was appointed to serve as the company’s president after Field’s death. Shedd completed Field’s plans for a 12-story expansion of the State Street store, which would later become a National Landmark. With its grand reopening in 1907, the store briefly gained the glorious title of “the world’s largest department store.”

To learn about other members of the Jekyll Island Club, visit the Jekyll Island Museum
on Stable Road, (912) 635-4036. Exhibits are open to the public free of charge and tours
of the historic district depart daily.

Tags: jekyll island club era, jekyll island georgia, jekyll island history tours, jekyll island museum, marshall fields
Posted in April 2008, Beachscape, History comes Alive | 2 Comments »