Island Living

Story By Kara Mautz Photos Contributed By Melissa and Anna Ruth Gatlin

Melissa and Anna Ruth Gatlin have worked together, as mother and daughter, to become Lee County published authors.

“A Guide To The Historic Jekyll Island Club” is the pair’s debut published tour guide, which details the history and architecture of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel located in the heart of the Georgia coastal island.

The Gatlin family is originally from Griffin, Georgia; however, Melissa grew up in Macon, where she met her husband Mark after he moved there shortly after graduating from Auburn University with a degree in engineering.

Two years later, they had their first child, Anna Ruth, and after that, her younger brothers Drew, Peter and Joshua.

“We moved to Opelika in 2005 when Anna Ruth was a freshman in the Interior Design program at Auburn University,” Melissa said. “Now, she is married to a graphic designer, Griff Smith, and is an assistant professor of Interior Design at Auburn.

Anna Ruth currently lives about twenty minutes from her mother, in Auburn with her husband and two children Izzy and Atlas.

Melissa said that the initial inspiration for the book came from her frequent trips to Jekyll Island throughout the past few decades.

“Since the 1980s, Mark has attended an annual work-related conference on Jekyll Island, Georgia,” Gatlin said. “Over the years, I have enjoyed going with him, staying at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and doing the historic tours. We have taken our children with us numerous times and even on vacations at other times than the annual conference.”

Melissa said that what drew her to the island was the rich and fascinating history of Jekyll Island.

“Most people may not realize that at the turn of the century, Jekyll Island was a private winter retreat for some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world,” Melissa said. “From December through April, while their homes in Chicago and New York were bitter cold, these bankers, railroad tycoons, bridge-builders and philanthropists could be found in the warm climate of Jekyll Island. It intrigues me that much of what they accomplished in their lifetimes affects our lives today.”

Melissa said that among some of the members were H.T. Proctor, of Proctor & Gamble, famous newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer, oil tycoon William Rockefeller and more.

She said that her interest in writing a book piqued when she saw the historic hotel and cottages on the island.

“I began to compile information for my own personal enjoyment about the people who came to Jekyll Island in its heyday of the late 1800s through the 1940s and what they did for a living,” Melissa said. “My husband Mark saw what I had put together and said that I should make it into a book so that other people can benefit from what I’ve learned.”

Melissa said she was skeptical because she was unsure how to turn her notes into a book, but her daughter Anna Ruth offered to help her with the logistics of creating a book from Melissa’s abundant notes about the island.

“Anna Ruth and I began the adventure of creating this book together,” Melissa said. “We worked together on researching and writing the book during the months of the pandemic. During these months, Anna Ruth and Griff were blessed with the birth of sweet baby Atlas. Her weeks of maternity leave gave us extra time to work on the book together, when almost daily I could be found holding the new baby while she designed the layout of the book. It was a very special privilege for me to get to work on this fun project with my daughter.”

Melissa said she hopes their book makes it easier for tourists to admire the beauty of the island while also immersing themselves in the rich history found within the walls of the cottages and landmarks of the island.

“We are hoping that since our book is an easy-to-read and visually appealing book containing brief descriptions, fun tidbits and colorful photos, visitors will use the book as a guide to understanding and appreciating more of the amazing history of the island,” Melissa said. “The self-guided walking tour is divided into three color-coded loops that can be done on separate days or all at once so that the experience suits the individual’s capability or desire.”

The Gatlins have also included recreation guides in the book for attractions that the visitors can currently find on the island.

“We outline that a visitor can enjoy sunning and swimming at one of the beautiful beach parks, walk, run or bike on the 25 miles of paved trails, take photos of alligators and turtles at Horton Pond or the sea birds along the marshes near mysterious Driftwood Beach, visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, charter a boat for a dolphin tour or salt-water fishing trip or play golf on one of the world-class golf courses,” Melissa said.

They have also included recommendations for excursions that can be found at the nearby St. Simons Island, Sea Island and Cumberland Island.

The book has even made its way into the classroom, as Anna Ruth has utilized the book for her interior design class at Auburn University.

During the Fall 2021 semester, Anna Ruth took her students on a trip to the island to give them the opportunity to be educated on the history and architecture of Jekyll Island.

“We used the book extensively over the days we were there, and the students reported that it was easy to understand and navigate and that they were able to enjoy their stay more holistically as interior design students when they were able to connect the past to the present,” Anna Ruth said.

In fact, Anna Ruth said that the students enjoyed the trip so much that the Auburn University Interior Design Program has partnered with the Jekyll Island Authority and Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum on a historic renovation project.

“The students spent the spring 2022 semester developing historically accurate plans for refurbishing Moss Cottage, one of the Island’s earliest historic cottages,” Anna Ruth said. “The Jekyll Island stakeholders were so impressed by the work that they immediately met to work out how they could begin the construction and refurbishment process in the next fiscal year.”

As for the Gatlins, they are planning to release another travel guide soon, this time taking their inspiration to Opelika.

“I live in the historic district in a home built around 1900, and I love this beautiful, historic city,” Melissa said. “Although Anna Ruth didn’t grow up in Opelika, she appreciates the charm and beauty of our community. In fact, on more than one occasion, she has brought students from her architectural history class at Auburn to walk the Opelika historic district and observe the various types of architecture in these beautiful homes.”

The book is set to be released sometime in 2023 and will be structured similarly to the Jekyll Island guide. The book will feature the Northside Historic District, downtown Opelika and the Geneva Historic District, spotlighting significant people of the town’s past, facts and stories about people and places and highlighting the historic buildings and landmarks of the town.

But for now, Melissa said that she hopes their current book will draw more people to visit Jekyll Island, or just simply learn about the rich history found there.

“We hope that visitors to Jekyll Island will have a more enjoyable trip due to reading our book, and that after reading our book, people will want to learn even more about Jekyll Island by reading more extensively on their own,” she said. “And if someone just loves history, we hope that they will pick up our book and enjoy learning about the fascinating history of the Jekyll Island Club in the Gilded Age.”