Duck House
Why it's listed
Built about 1900 on Cumberland Island, Georgia, the Duck House is a small one-story frame hunting camp with a vernacular stick style design. Its L-shaped plan includes a wrap-around porch, a corrugated metal hipped roof, horizontal clapboard siding and two fireplaces inside. The Carnegie family built it for the exclusive use of the Carnegie men and their male guests, while the women took day trips elsewhere on the island. It is the only remaining example of the recreational buildings the family built there, and it reflects the sporting pastimes of the elite at the turn of the century. The Carnegies used the island less during the 1920s and abandoned the camp. During World War II, the Coast Watch used it as a lookout point for German submarines or saboteurs, and some rooms still carry inscriptions the unit assigned. Sand dunes now encroach on the building, and its windows and doors are missing, but it still conveys its original purpose.
Significance in brief: It is significant in leisure/resorts as the only surviving example of the recreational buildings the Carnegie family built on the island, reflecting the sporting life of the elite at the turn of the century. It also gained military significance during World War II, when the local Coast Watch detachment used it as a point for surveying the coast for German submarines or saboteurs.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84000938, listed February 13, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Cumberland Island, St. Marys |
|---|---|
| County | Camden County |
| Listed | February 13, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000938 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular stick style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Abandoned in the 1920s and not in active use for about fifty years; deteriorated somewhat but retains integrity, with windows and doors missing and sand encroaching on the porch. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 30.84749, -81.43058 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84000938.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16974235
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.