Known as Dungeness, this 59-room mansion was built in the 1880s as a winter retreat for the family of steel magnate Thomas M. Carnegie. Sadly, Carnegie died of typhoid fever in 1886 and never saw the completion of his home. His wife Lucy became was the sole beneficiary of his estate and made Cumberland Island their permanent residence. The estate included a golf course, swimming pool, stables, and 40 additional buildings that housed a staff of 200. Lucy Carnegie would later own 90% of the island, where she built homes for her children. In 1959, a mysterious fire burned Dungeness to the ground. The National Park Service has served as the island’s protector since the 1970s, and will one day be its sole owner.
