Discover Dungess Ruins at Cumberland Island Georgia
Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene purchased land on the island in 1783 to harvest live oaks for ship building. Wood from the island was used to build the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides". Stay and Play in GA!
His wife, Catherine, remarried 10 years later to Phineas Miller, and they followed through on Greene's designs, building a huge, four-story tabby mansion on top of an Indian shell mound. She named it Dungeness after Oglethorpe's lodge.
The mansion, with 6-foot (1.8 m) thick walls at the base, featured four chimneys and 16 fireplaces, and was surround by 12 acres (49,000 m2) of gardens. Dungeness was the scene of many special social galas where statesmen and military leaders enjoyed the Millers' hospitality. When the island was briefly occupied during the War of 1812, the British used Dungeness as their headquarters.
In 1818, Gen. "Lighthorse" Harry Lee, Revolutionary War hero and old friend of Nathaniel Greene, came ashore at Cumberland Island. He was in failing health and was returning from the West Indies when he asked to be taken to his old friend's estate of Dungeness.
After a month of illness, he died on March 25 and was buried on the island. His son, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, had a tombstone placed over the grave and visited his father's final resting place several times. In 1913, Harry Lee was moved to Lexington, Virginia, to lie beside his famous son, but the gravestone was left on Cumberland Island.
The plantation economy was dealt a deathblow with the Civil War, and Dungeness deteriorated and the Carnegie family moved away. Dungeness burned down in 1866.
Amenities: Public Restrooms and Accessibility for mobility-impaired.
Free tours. However, there is a fee to Cumberland Island.
Contact and Address
Phone: 912-882-4335 or 888-817-3421 - Location: Cumberland Island Georgia
Coast and Islands National Parks 
His wife, Catherine, remarried 10 years later to Phineas Miller, and they followed through on Greene's designs, building a huge, four-story tabby mansion on top of an Indian shell mound. She named it Dungeness after Oglethorpe's lodge. 
After a month of illness, he died on March 25 and was buried on the island. His son, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, had a tombstone placed over the grave and visited his father's final resting place several times. In 1913, Harry Lee was moved to Lexington, Virginia, to lie beside his famous son, but the gravestone was left on Cumberland Island.
