The Jekyll Island Club

They said they were going hunting. Their real business was the future of American banking.

In November 1910, a small party of influential men traveled secretly to Jekyll Island, using first names to conceal their identities. Behind the doors of an exclusive winter retreat, they developed a proposal that helped lay the groundwork for the Federal Reserve.

The island already had a remarkable story. In The Jekyll Island Club, Michael P. Kestler opens the gates to a private world associated with J. P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, Joseph Pulitzer, and other figures of extraordinary wealth. Here, grand residences passed for "cottages," yachts arrived offshore, and powerful households pursued comfort, companionship, and escape.

Through family decisions, social rivalries, elaborate hospitality, and the daily work of employees, Kestler reveals the community behind the famous names. He follows the Panic of 1907, the choices made at the secret conference, and the political struggle that transformed proposals into law.

The story continues through family losses, changing fortunes, depression, and war, as the club's future grew uncertain. Georgia's acquisition brought new visitors, struggles over access, and difficult choices about preserving the island's past.

From secluded retreat to public destination, Jekyll's history connects private pleasures with public consequences. This is the story of the people who built that world, kept it running, and changed what it could become.