This Day in Jekyll History, February 17, 1886
On This Day in Jekyll History…February 17, 1886, John Eugene duBignon sells Jekyll Island .
John Eugene duBignon, and his brother-in-law Newton Finney were the early developers of the Jekyll Island Club. In 1886, the two men reacquired Jekyll with the idea of forming a hunting club for wealthy northerners. Finney lived in New York, and had good connections to members of institutions such as the Union Club, and developed the membership and early investors in the project. DuBignon handled the purchase of the island, and in turn sold it to the newly incorporated Jekyll Island Club.
Finney had no difficulty finding individuals to buy membership shares. In all Finney was able to find fifty-three individuals that included Henry Hyde, Marshall Field, John Pierpont Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, and William H. Vanderbilt.
By 1886, financial preparations were completed and Finney, as a representative of the newly formed Jekyll Island Club, was prepared to sign paperwork. Officially on February 17, 1886 Newton Finney signed an agreement with duBignon, selling Jekyll Island to the Jekyll Island Club for $125,000.
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Tags: jekyll island, jekyll island history, John Eugene duBignon, Newton Finney
