First African Baptist Church at The Settlement on Cumberland Island
The Settlement is the name given to an area at the northern end of Cumberland Island National Seashore that was settled by former slaves in the early 1890s. It is approximately fifteen miles, one-way, from the Sea Camp ferry dock, which makes a visit nearly impossible for anyone other than campers who are on the island for multiple days or for those on the Lands and Legacies Tour. I suppose day trippers with a bike can make it as well, but a 30-mile bike ride is not an undertaking for everyone. Those riding non-stop can make it to The Settlement in about two hours. I did meet one lady who not only made the trip on bike, but also stopped at Plum Orchard Mansion and took the one-hour mansion tour. She made it back to the dock with only fifteen minutes to spare before the 4:45 PM ferry departed. She told me that she’d never do that again. For the effort, it takes all of fifteen minutes to see the The Settlement.
Prior to the Civil War, the largest plantation owner on Cumberland Island was Robert Stafford, a man with an unorthodox way of managing his slaves. Work was done on a task system, which meant that slaves had a set amount of work to do each day, and once finished they could spend time as they saw fit. This included hunting with guns provided by Stafford, raising vegetables, and even hiring themselves out to other plantation owners or doing work on the mainland at St. Marys. Any money they made they got to keep and spend as they wished. After the Civil War, this meant that Stafford’s former slaves were well ahead of the game when it came to freedom.
Even before the Civil War began, there was a hotel and resort business at the northern end of Cumberland Island that was run by the Clubb family. They sold their hotel in 1881 to Martin Burbank, who ran it under the name High Point Hotel. In 1893, Burbank purchased a few acres west of the hotels with the idea of dividing it into small plots and selling it to the former slaves who were living in the area. This community would provide him and the other hoteliers on the island, of which there were a few by then, with a supply of labor.
The hotel business thrived until the Great Depression hit. Afterwards, most of the black residents moved to the mainland, but a few stayed on to work as servants for the wealthy home owners or in the logging and agriculture businesses that operated on the island, and they remained at the Settlement for a few more decades. By the time the National Park Service took over the property only four buildings remained intact, and today only two remain today.
The most famous of the buildings is the First African Baptist Church, which was originally a log structure built when The Settlement was founded. The current structure is the log cabin’s replacement that the remaining community members built in 1937. Being a small church in the middle of nowhere is no cause for fame—that came on September 21, 1996, when John F. Kennedy Jr. married Carolyn Bessette at the church. Kennedy had been coming to Cumberland Island for years as a guest of some of the Carnegie descendants. He chose the island for his wedding because it was the only place where the paparazzi could not get to him. While nobody knew about the wedding other than family, once word got out, a trip to the church was on the top of any Kennedy fan’s To-Do list.
Anyone can get married in the church, but the National Park Service does not provide transportation. Unless you and your soon-to-be spouse and guests plan to ride bikes fifteen miles to the church, all arrangements must be made through the Greyfield Inn, which also happens to be the only place to sleep on the island other than the campgrounds. Rooms runs between $500-$600 per night. The inn is owned by descendants of the Carnegies, and unlike most of the other private land that has been pledged to the park when the owners die, the owners of the inn have no plans to sell, so it may well end up being one of the very few private land holdings left on Cumberland Iisland.
Though the doors may be closed, the church is open during the daytime. A park Ranger locks it up once the last ferry departs.
Interior of the First African Baptist Church at the northern end of Cumberland Island
The other house that still stands is that of Beulah Alberty, the daughter of one of the original home owners. Beulah got an education on the mainland, and even worked as a school teacher for a while, but unlike many of The Settlement residents who left for a better life, Beulah came back. With her education and experience she was able to help the community with daily problems, start a school for the children, and work out legal issues. She became known as the Mayor of The Settlement. The house is open, though the rooms are empty. It has a restroom but no drinkable water.
Home of Beulah Alberty at the Settlement on the northern end of Cumberland Island
A red building sits not far from the Alberty house, but it is near collapse. This was the home of Roger Alberty, Beulah’s uncle, and was built around 1900. It may well be torn down and removed by the time you visit.
Photo of the Roger Alberty House around 1960.
Roger Alberty House on Cumberland Island in 2016
Roger Alberty House on Cumberland Island in 2022
Behind a fence is a private residence belonging to Carol Ruchdeschel, a local hero or villain, depending on whether you want Cumberland Island more accessible to the public or want it returned to nature. Ruchdeschel found early fame as a precursor to today’s reality TV stars when New Yorker Magazine wrote an article on her, describing her as an outdoors woman who wasn’t afraid of snakes and who ate road killed animals. She came to Cumberland Island to work as the caretaker for the Candler family property in the early 1970s. The Chandlers had purchased the land where the hotels were located. Two were in bad shape and torn down, while one was renovated and now serves as the family’s vacation home.
Ruchdeschel spent her free time monitoring and dissecting dead sea turtles and started an organization that kept track of trends in the deaths of the turtles and other marine animals. She ended up purchasing the property from one of the grandchildren of a Settlement land owner and has since sold it to the National Park Service, retaining the right to live out her life in the home. Supposedly she does not like tourists coming to the island and wants to get rid of the horses as well. She has spearheaded many lawsuits against further development on the island. She even shot and killed her boyfriend in self defense on the porch of her house back in 1980. She is no doubt an interesting personality. Look her up on the Internet to find out more.
Carol Ruchdeschel’s house on Cumberland Island
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Last updated on May 23, 2022
