Rockefeller Cottage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Rockefeller Cottage
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
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| Location | 331 Riverview Dr., Jekyll Island, Georgia |
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| Area | 2.7 acres (1.1 ha) |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architectural style | Shingle Style, Rural American |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000279 |
| Added to NRHP | July 14, 1971 |
The Rockefeller Cottage is a cool old house on Jekyll Island, Georgia. It's also known as Indian Mound Cottage. This amazing building sits right next to the famous Jekyll Island Club.
This huge house has three floors and a whopping 25 rooms! Imagine, it has nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and even seven rooms for staff. It has some really special features, like its own elevator and a safe room lined with cedar wood. And get this: the main bathroom even had taps for hot and cold salt water in the bathtub! You can visit this amazing mansion today! The Jekyll Island Museum offers tours.
A Look Back: The Cottage's Story
The Rockefeller Cottage was built in 1892. A man named Gordon McKay had it constructed. He owned the house until he passed away in 1903.
In 1905, William Rockefeller bought the house. He was a very wealthy businessman. Mr. Rockefeller used the cottage as his family's winter home. They enjoyed it for many years.
During World War II, in 1942, everyone had to leave Jekyll Island. This included the Rockefeller family. The house stayed empty for a few years.
The Rockefeller family owned the house until 1947. Then, the Jekyll Island Authority bought the property. It became a museum in 1950. However, it closed in 1968 for important repairs. Today, it is open again as a public museum for everyone to enjoy. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. This means it's a very important historic building.
The Indian Mound Mystery
The house's original name, Indian Mound Cottage, came from a small hill in its front yard. For a long time, people thought this mound was a burial ground. They believed it belonged to the Guale Indians. The Guale people were some of the first inhabitants of Jekyll Island.
Later, experts studied the mound more closely. They discovered it wasn't a burial ground at all. Instead, it was a shell midden. A shell midden is a pile of shells and other waste. It was left behind by the Guale Indians after they ate shellfish. This discovery helped us learn more about their daily lives.
