“Power is critical, and the new line is so valuable . . .it is like gold,” enthuses Mary Ferguson, managing partner, Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island. She is referring to the 3.5 miles Greyfield Innof line Okefenoke REMC recently rebuilt to provide the island with power. “Even though we live out here like ‘back in the day,’ power is essential to the experience.”

It isn’t every day that singing the praises of a newly erected power line is a conversation starter. But then Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island isn’t your everyday place. Aside from the fact you can only reach the island by boat, the moment you step off and make your way down the dock you know you are entering a different time and place.

Maybe it is the “lack of” that first captures your attention. Walking from the dock onto the crushed shell and sand roadway you are led under the oak canopy, accentuated by dappled sunlight. There aren’t any vehicles, signs or noise—except for the whinny of wild horses you walk past, the soft crunch of the road beneath your feet and the chipping birds heralding your arrival. The quiet embraces you as you follow the road up to the Inn. The beauty of the landscape leaving you in awe, and you only just got here.

Beckoning you forward is a view of the Inn itself, still camouflaged to a degree by the mighty oaks draped with Spanish moss. The majesty of this historic, colonial-style home built in 1900 is revealed as you emerge into the clearing, an expansive stairway drawing up you to the porch and the front door.

Once inside Greyfield Inn you are immediately transported back in time. All the furnishings are original to the house . . .they have not changed since 1900 when it was built by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie for their daughter Margaret Ricketson. From tea tables and Tiffany lamps to beveled mirrors and Chippendales chairs, the furnishings also include several Federalist style pieces, velvet upholstery, winged back chairs and intricately carved, mahogany claw-foot dining tables. It is like a living museum that is simultaneously functional, ornate, yet inviting and comfortable.
Greyfield was converted to an inn by Margaret’s daughter, Lucy R. Ferguson, in 1962. Lucy was Managing Partner Mitty Ferguson’s grandmother, and he grew up coming to Cumberland Island from his Boston-area home. He remembers when his grandmother “got the zany idea to make the house an inn.”

“Becoming an inn evolved out of the many family, friends and friends of friends that regularly came to visit,” Mitty explains. “It was a means of helping to preserve the home itself and the Cumberland experience.”

Sitting on the expansive front porch lined with rockers and an over sized, cushioned swing on either end, Mitty looks out over the expansive lawn where several horses have meandered to graze and reflects back: “I often talk with guests about coming here as a child when there wasn’t any electricity. We had gas refrigerators and generators so we had to bring diesel to the island. We used to turn the generators on from 7-11 a.m., and then again at dusk to prepare and serve the evening meal. That is also when we’d pump water up into the water tower that used to stand just south of the Inn. This insured we had water and the necessary pressure when the generators were off.”
It wasn’t until 1966 when OREMC began constructing the original line to serve Cumberland Island. Then and now, the line is linked by 45 poles across three rivers and marshland before reaching the island. The line then goes underground to serve island residents, Plum Orchard and Greyfield Inn, leaving the natural vistas on the island undisturbed.

In May of this year the weather worn line was rebuilt having out lasted its useful life, particularly after being battered by two hurricanes in two years. As part of construction, planned power outages were necessary, which Mary communicated to their guests. “It was important for our guests to know how essential Okefenoke’s power line upgrade was to providing the experience they anticipated with us,” she notes. “We would not be able to do what we do without Okefenoke.”

While electricity may be essential to Greyfield’s operations, they do not have television or internet service available. The goal of the Greyfield experience is to leave you feeling welcomed, well-cared for and rejuvenated.

Mary says, “In the house and on the island, great care has been taken to preserve a bygone era. We want our guests to immerse themselves in the untamed, natural beauty that is Cumberland Island. It is the same today as it was the first time I came here during a senior camping trip in high school with my science class. Part of what we offer at the Inn are naturalist led tours to share and educate guests about our undeveloped island, the maritime forests, the marsh and the dunes. We also provide guided tours up to Plum Orchard and down to the Dungeness ruins. Because of the Kennedy wedding, many guests are also interested in visiting the old African church at the island’s north end. They are surprised to hear it is 15 miles north and takes an hour to get there.”

On this day, a couple from Bradenton/Sarasota, Florida are staying at Greyfield after watching the recent documentary about the wedding of JFK Jr. to Caroline Bessette back in 1996. Having toured Plum Orchard earlier in the day, they took a respite in the Library sipping a cool glass of sweet tea before setting off on a stroll under the oaks.

The chef provides a daily picnic lunch you can take out while hiking the many trails, on the bicycles that are made available for cruising the island or kayaking in the surrounding waterways. You’ll encounter various species of shorebirds and delight to the school of porpoises likely fishing and frolicking alongside you. And of course, there are the famed wild horses that roam freely throughout the island.
As is family tradition, guests will dress for dinner and gather for cocktail hour at the bar—once a mantel mounted over a fireplace in Dungeness. From there everyone makes their way to the dining room where the menu features simple, yet elegant, meals locally sourced from the garden and surrounding estuaries.

Glancing at his watch Mitty realizes the time is approaching for him to captain the Lucy R. Ferguson on her next ferry run to Fernandina Beach,

Florida. There is always work to be done, but he and Mary don’t mind. They enjoy the simpler lifestyle and sharing their love of island with their guests.

“My grandmother said this place was going to get more unique over time,” recalls Mitty, “and she was right.”

For more information on Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island visit http://greyfieldinn.com/