The Jekyll Island Authority was created in the 1950s to conserve and develop the island. Various authority employees leased the Furness cottage as a residence, into the 1990s. An independent bookstore, Jekyll Books at the Old Infirmary, occupied the cottage from 2001 to 2016. The booksellers maintained that the cottage was haunted by the ghost of a young girl, and posted a sign on the second floor: "STOP – Only ghosts are allowed on 3rd floor stairs." Hurricane Matthew hit Jekyll Island in October 2016, and the Furness cottage was damaged by a fallen tree. Repairs and renovations to the building were completed in Summer 2017. The restorers painted the cottage the same pale blue that it had been when it served as Jekyll Island Infirmary. The nearby Jekyll Island Museum moved its visitors center and gift shop to the cottage, while its own building underwent renovations. Following nearly two years of work, the Jekyll Island Museum reopened on April 27, 2019.