Designed by the well known firm Peabody and Stearns whom had been hired by Lucy Carnegie to design the home for her son George Lauder Carnegie (the nephew of Andrew Carnegie) and his wife Margaret Copley Thaw, Plum Orchard was constructed in 1898, the same year Margaret and George were married. While the majority of the building was completed in 1898, work on Plum Orchard Mansion’s smaller buildings and additions continued until 1906.
A few years after the death of George Lauder Carnegie, Margaret left the estate and moved to Paris with her second husband Roger, the Count of Perigny. In 1971 the grand Carnegie estate was donated by the family to National Park Foundation and is largely credited for the congressional approval for the establishment of The Cumberland Island National Seashore.
Plum Orchard Mansion Facts
- The estate is part of the Cumberland Island National Seashore.
- The mansion grounds include a rare squash tennis court.
- Tours of Plum Orchard Mansion are held daily as a part of the Lands and Legacies Tour.
- The estate and surrounding areas are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
