The Grange - Views From The House

 Looking across Beach Creek

July of 2011, the National Park Service released their proposed plan for the Former Reserved Properties Management Plan.  Their recommendation, open up The Grange tract to the public for visitors services, education, and activities. By law, the NPS received the tract upon the expiration of a Retained Rights Agreement by a descendant of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie, Lucy C. J. Graves.  

With this addition of The Grange Tract within the NPS hands, the historical integrity of the Dungeness Complex is now one cohesive group. The Grange lies in the heart of a complex system of other structural outbuildings that help to create a varied facade for the operations of the infrastructure of the Dungeness Estate in the late 19th and 20th century.

A view from the rooftop

 The NPS will now be responsible for renovating the historic structure within the Dungeness Historic District. Due to several rehabilitations over the years by the Graves family and others, The Grange is in very good condition.

One of the issues at this time is the limited funding that is dedicated to the Cumberland Island National Seashore (CUIS). There are 396 other areas within the National Park System that need to be funded during this downturn in the economic. BTW - Cumberland Island is one of just ten designated National Seashores.

The other issue is a frequently used tool of leases and other agreements by the NPS to help defray the burden of management and over time, continued maintenance costs. Indiana Dunes, Point Raise, Apostle Islands and other areas within the park system have lease agreements. 

 

Rooftop view, Dungeness ruins in the distance

An issue that needs to be considered by the NPS in this critical planning process is that in the future, retained estate tracts at Stafford and tracts located behind Plum Orchard will expire. Several structures in the leased areas of the complex behind Plum Orchard have already deteriorated. More burden will be placed upon CUIS and the park service when these newly acquired historical estate structures come into their hands.

Leases are effective but just what kind?

Antietam Battlefield has leases. One of the major battles at this historic site was fought in the cornfields.  The NPS needs corn for the environmental effect, so they lease the land to farmers to grow the corn so that it will appear to look like the battlefield at that time.

Regardless of whatever the NPS decides, all parties will not be satisfied.

The Grange

The forty year reserved estate lease

for the rights of The Grange tract

expired today.

The Georgian styled house rests nestled in oaks and magnolias between Dungeness and the Carriage House. Right outside the recessed main entrance is a view of the former Pool House.

I'm sure that it was heartache for the families watching that structure deteriorate.

In Mary Bullard's book, Cumberland Island: A History, she states "construction on the Grange, the last large house built on the Dungeness Estate, began in 1902 and was completed by the end of 1903, by which time a total of $25,483 had been spent on the house."

Shaded by the trees, 

the side of The Grange is the best view one can get

 walking down Magnolia Avenue.

Roughly 60'x57', the stuccoed finish residence is now in the hands of the park service.

Below is a link to a recent article in the Tribune and Georgian newspaper located in St. Marys.

http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2010/12/10/news/top_stories/1topstory12.10.txt

Newspaper 1

The Albany Herald

October, 11, 2010

The Grange

The Grange as it appeared in the summer of 1970.

The portico is not original to the structure and it is being

held up by tree logs.

Lucy C. Carnegie built The Grange probably around the late 1890's.  The estate manager William E. Page and his wife lived in the structure until his death.

The Grange is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Dungeness Historic District.  The residence was built just behind the neglected and ruined Pool House.

An old slide of The Pool House in 1970.

The house and it's few acreages are in a Reserved Property Agreement (RPA) with Carnegie descendants.  The family has maintained the structure throughout the years and appears to be reasonably sound. I believe that they have learned that keeping a maintained roof helps to preserve a structure.

The RPA lease will expire in a few months and become property of the NPS.  Once the ownership is taken, the NPS will be responsible for maintaining and renovating the historic significant structure, forever.

The problem, and everyone knows this, no additional funding will be available for this home or any of the other 100 or so structures to be maintained on the island, especially during the state of the present economy.

I believe that the NPS should consider extending the present RPA to the present owner so that the building will be preserved for generations to come.  We are learning now that some property is deteriorating in the NPS hands because of lack of funding.  The current owner has stated they would upgrade the structure to NPS standards.

For the record, I do not know any previous or current owners of The Grange.  I'm just a concerned citizen.

Please check out these sites:

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkID=371&projectId=28794

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=371&projectId=28794&documentID=30789

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=371&projectId=28794&documentID=34617

Please comment on your concerns here about The Grange and The Stafford Beach Cottage and how they need to be preserved and maintained.

http://www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/summary.asp
The National Park Service List of Classified Structures for Cumberland Island National Seashore.

Stafford Beach Cottage

Stafford Beach Cottage and approximately one acre of property came into the hands of the National Park Service around the year 2000.

First I need to explain a RPA. There are two types of property owners on the island: life estate holders and those with a term for a specific number of years. These owners have what is called a Reserve Property Agreement (RPA) that was granted to them during the governments land acquisitions of the late 60's and early 70's.
The RPA expired and now belongs to the NPS. The NPS has included the cottage into what is termed the 2010ers. The 2010ers are a group of RPAs that will come into the possession of the NPS. They will be determining which property and structures will be beneficial to the NPS.

The Stafford Beach Cottage , built by the Carnegie's, helped shape the character and identity of Cumberland Island through the Carnegie's outdoor activities and with experiences of their everyday life on the island estates. The value of the property and beach cottage is determined through the landscape and it's vernacular design. The main structures principal features from the period in which the cottage was built are still intact and visually, there are no major structural damage. The setting has only changed through the typical natural process of environmental changes. The Stafford Beach Cottage and surrounding property still has historic identity.

The floor plan was drawn from researching photographs.

It is important to preserve the cottage because it's cultural value served as a recreational venue for the Carnegie's and their friend's social activities and traditions. The purpose of the structure was to be a place devoted to recreation and not as a residence.

Site Plan

From a list of five, a decision will be made upon this cottage: (1) use for park housing, (2) administrative offices, storage etc......., (3) public use such as a visitor's center, environmental research station etc......., (4) tear the structure down, and (5) Have the structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We need for citizens to contact their local, regional and national political officials and let them know that the cottage needs to be preserved. Next, contact and email the NPS at their web site here. http://www.nps.gov/cuis/contacts.htm
Thank you to my friend for the use of her photos of the cottage. Check out her web site. The name says it all!http://www.cumberlandislandquiltchick.com/