Carnegie Family Seeks Land Swap for Up to 8 New Homes on Cumberland Island

The National Park Service has received more than 12,500 public comments on a proposal to swap federal land on Cumberland Island with private properties owned by descendants of the Carnegie family. The exchange would allow for the construction of up to eight new private homes on the island's west side.

The proposal targets a specific area currently managed as parkland. Under the plan, this land would be transferred to two branches of the Carnegie lineage. In return, the federal government would acquire the private parcels held by those descendants. Park Superintendent Melissa Trenchik described the new structures as modest, noting they would be subject to permanent conservation limits and a height restriction of 35 feet.

The primary goal of the swap is to consolidate private ownership on the west side of the island. Trenchik explained that this consolidation would allow the park to better interpret natural and cultural resources on the Atlantic beachside. This includes sensitive coastal areas where development could be prohibited. She stated that without this action, development on the private land is already a possibility.

Critics argue the scale of the new construction goes beyond the label of modest. Joseph Manning, an attorney with Defenders of Wildlife, pointed to the allowance of 15,000 square feet for the new developments, which includes driveways and outbuildings. Manning described the proposed homes as McMansions and framed the exchange as part of a broader effort by the current administration to privatize public lands.

Barclay McFadden, a great-great-grandson of Thomas Carnegie, defended the family's intentions. He noted that five generations of his family are buried on the island in a family cemetery that remains intact. McFadden said the family has been stewards of the land, pointing out that his grandmother's generation chose to protect the property from becoming a golf course in the 1970s rather than selling to developers. He added that the new homes are intended for younger generations of the family.

Jamie Ferguson, McFadden's cousin and the family's unofficial historian, co-owns the Greyfield Inn, a former Carnegie mansion now operating as a bed and breakfast. Ferguson said the family shares a deep connection to the island. He believes the land swap could increase visitor access to The Chimneys, a site containing the remains of about two dozen brick and tabby chimneys from an old sea island cotton plantation. Ferguson emphasized that the Carnegie presence is a part of the island's cultural history.

Carol Ruckdeschel, an ecologist who has lived on the island for more than 50 years, opposes the deal. She is involved with the conservation group Wild Cumberland and views the swap as the first step toward greater development. Ruckdeschel expressed concern that the park service is also planning to double daily visitation to 700 visitors per day. She described the island as moving toward a climax stage of rewilding, where nature reclaims old plantation fields, and stated she believes the island should remain a primitive wilderness.

Cumberland Island is an 18-mile barrier island in Georgia that includes salt marshes, maritime forests, and expansive beaches. The National Park Service has managed the site since 1972. It contains roughly 9,800 acres of wilderness designated by Congress to be preserved in its primitive state. The island also features Native American relics, Spanish mission remnants, and antebellum plantation ruins.