The Remarkable Journey of Cumberland Island Museum's Collection
In December 1990, the 5-log schooner Behemoth made two trips from Fernandina Beach to Brickhill Bluff. The 100-year-old nonmotorized vessel was owned, maintained and operated by Les Johnson. The Port of Fernandina, Nassau Terminals, donated personnel and equipment to help load the ship. The vessel was transporting building materials destined to become the Cumberland Island Museum on the north end of Cumberland Island.
The Cumberland Island Museum was founded in 1985 by Carol Ruckdeschel and Bob Shoop. The museum's mission is to identify, preserve and protect biological specimens found on Cumberland Island. The museum collection and publications also serve as resources for scholars studying the Southeast coast of the United States.
The specimen collection at the Cumberland Island Museum consists of animals found dead on the island and nearby mainland for the past 45 years. They provide valuable biological insight into the diversity of the area. The collection has been housed at the museum on the north end of Cumberland Island since 1990.
In November 2024, the Cumberland Island Museum specimen collection was transferred to the National Park Service. The final location of the entire museum collection is planned to be the University of Georgia’s Natural History Museum. This will allow for continued use of the collection for scholarly research in an academic setting, according to Ruckdeschel.
Theses, doctoral dissertations, government publications and reports, maps and aerial photographs, letters, and notes of biologists are included in the collection. They provide a comprehensive basis for all types of historical and biological studies of Cumberland Island, said Ruckdeschel.
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Georgia native Wayne Clough, Ph.D., about Ruckdeschel and her work on Cumberland Island. Clough served as the 10th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology from 1994 to 2008. He was the 12th secretary of the Smithsonian, serving from 2008 to 2014. And, Clough is currently writing a book about the natural history of coastal Georgia.
While conducting research for his new book, Clough came across many contributions from Ruckdeschel at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. He asked the curators, "What was it that got you so excited about Carol’s work in the first place?” They replied, “It was her field journals, they were the best they had ever seen, they were outstanding.”
George Zug was head of curation for reptiles and Charlie Potter was the head curator for the marine mammal division at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. These guys worked at the Smithsonian for decades, according to Clough.
After seeing her journals, Zug and Potter drove down to Cumberland Island to meet Ruckdeschel. This marked the beginning of a long relationship between the Cumberland Island Museum and the Smithsonian. Over the next several decades, the National Museum of Natural History would accept over 600 specimens and field notes from the Cumberland Island Museum for curation.
Ruckdeschel helped to “crack the code” and understand the life cycle of loggerhead sea turtles. Her research was invaluable to our understanding of not only sea turtles but marine mammals as well, said Clough. He went on to say that Ruckdeschel's book on the natural history of Cumberland Island is “outstanding.”
Clough is very familiar with Cumberland Island. He was asked to speak at the 50th anniversary of the founding of Cumberland Island National Seashore. While preparing for his speech, he dove deep into research about Cumberland Island. Clough said that what stood out the most to him was the under-appreciation of Ruckdeschel as a scientist. He went on to say that Ruckdeschel is the greatest coastal scientist in Georgia’s history.
When Clough asked Ruckdeschel why she sent so many specimens to the Smithsonian, she said, “Well, I have so many, they are overwhelming me.” And she wanted them to go to a place that would protect them for posterity.
The Smithsonian is a “forever place” according to Clough. In other words, if you give something to the Smithsonian, it never goes away. “Her contributions to the Smithsonian collection are protected and cared for, forever, they are that important,” said Clough.
Clough recently had the opportunity to visit Ruckdeschel and the Cumberland Island Museum. He said “that was trip I will never forget.” He saddled up on the back of her ATV for the 16-mile-long, bumpy, dirt road journey to the museum. He recounted how sore his tailbone was after that ride.
Many visitors to the museum have experienced similar adventures with Ruckdeschel on her ATV. I am thrilled to be one of them. I concur with Clough; it is a ride you will never forget.
There are no words to describe how much I enjoyed sharing conversation with Clough about Ruckdeschel and her work with the Cumberland Island Museum. I do not know of anyone more qualified than Clough to discuss the significance of Ruckdeschel’s dedication to understanding the ecology of Cumberland Island. Her work ethic as a scientist and love of the island have made her the greatest coastal scientist in Georgia history.
Currently, the Cumberland Island Museum collection is being inventoried by the National Park Service on Cumberland Island. It contains thousands of specimens collected over the past 45 years. We eagerly await an update from Cumberland Island National Seashore regarding the status of the museum collection inventory.
