CUMBERLAND ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — After a $3 million, 18-month facelift, the 22,000 square-foot Plum Orchard mansion built by the Carnegie family in 1898 is expected to reopen to the public, The Florida Times-Union reported.

Julie Meeks, the National Park Service’s acting superintendent for the island, told the paper that the mansion should be open later this fall.

The work included interior improvements as well as structural improvements such as replacing beams and installing a lift for wheelchairs.

The mansion’s basement will feature the old hand-cranked Koehler generator that supplied electricity to the mansion until the 1960s, a large wooden icebox, and a water-powered elevator.





Cumberland Island National Seashore, accessible by ferry from St. Marys, includes designated wilderness areas, undeveloped beaches, historic sites, cultural ruins, critical habitat and nesting areas.

For details on visiting Cumberland Island, go to http://www.nps.gov/cuis/.