Musgrove
Photos courtesy of Brett Bagley
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St. Simons Island, Georgia
The Musgrove facility is available by invitation of the Arca Foundation only.
Overlooking a picturesque, preserved, seaside marsh, Musgrove is a 600-acre estate on the banks of historic Village Creek on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Musgrove had its beginnings in 1938 when Arca Foundation’s founder, Nancy Susan Reynolds, purchased the original tract of land along the banks of the Village Creek. Committed to preserving the natural integrity of the estate, she built a compound of cottages. Six separate houses accommodate family and guests at Musgrove. The largest building on the grounds, the Grove House, is a spacious two-storied recreation room, and is an ideal place for seminars.
Musgrove seems barely touched by the events that embroil the outside world. Yet it was here, at the now part-time home of the Arca Foundation’s president, Smith Bagley, that President Jimmy Carter held his first pre-inaugural Cabinet meeting. And it is here that the Arca Foundation hosts conferences on topics ranging from Central American war to American policy toward Cuba, from media ownership and independence to campaign finance reform.
The name of the estate has, in fact, become synonymous with such gatherings to discuss and debate topics of interest and importance. Held three to four times each year, “Musgroves,” for the Arca Foundation and many other organizations and individuals, have become vital occasions for exchanging information, regaining energy, opening eyes, reawakening commitments, and of course, turning ideas into action. Musgrove gatherings are sponsored by the Arca Foundation by invitation only.
