Horton House, Jekyll Island, Georgia

 

If you are delighted to be in ancient ruins, you are either a curious historian or a romantic person!”

Mehmet Murat Ildan

Driving along Riverview Road on Jekyll Island, we came across a frame of a two story home. This home had no windows, doors, or roof. We pulled in and read that this two story house was built of tabby in 1742. Tabby was a mixture of oyster shells that are burnt to create lime, and mixed with water, sand, ash, and broken oyster shells. This method was introduced by the Spanish settlers.

We got out and walked around the home which only had the outer walls and the remnants of a fireplace. The outer walls were in remarkably good shape for a home that was built that long ago considering all the hurricanes and wars since that time. But there it stood. The oldest home on Jekyll Island.

General James Oglethorpe put Captain William Horton in charge of a few dozen men to build a foundation of Fort Frederica and its surroundings on Saint Simons Island. He did such an outstanding job that Oglethorpe promoted him to Major and the Colony’s Trustees gave him 500 acres on Jekyll Island. He built his first house out of wood but the Spanish destroyed it in an attack. That is when he and his indentured servants rebuilt the house but out of tabby. 

Major William Horton farmed the island with some cattle and planted crops to support the troops at Fort Frederica. He also grew hops and barley and used it to make Georgia’s first beer. This brewery supplied beer to his troops and settlers on St. Simons Island. The ruins of the beer warehouse has mostly fallen into DuBignon Creek.

I read an interesting story in the Suwanee Magazine. The article states that one of Oglethorpe’s friend died in prison serving a life sentence and he was not wanting any other prisoner to die in prison. He proposed to the King that he could start a military colony in Georgia where prisoners could work off their debt. The King gave him permission but they had to follow certain rules. The first rule was No Alcohol. Many didn’t want to consider coming over after learning of rule number 1. The rest of rules included, no slavery, no gambling, no Catholics, and no lawyers. Oglethorpe managed to get some men to come and settle.

They soon after ran into a problem. The drinking water was not good and many men were getting dysentery and people were dying from that and dehydration. Oglethorpe went back to the King to have permission to change the rules. While he was gone, our William Horton himself was put in charge. His men found out South Carolina was not following their same rules and were allowed to drink. The men were going to revolt. Horton gave the men permission to drink with the stipulation no one dies. When Oglethorpe came back he was furious of what had been done behind his back and demanded Horton’s resignation. Horton stated, “Hold on a second. Everybody might be tipsy, but nobody’s dying anymore. You’re welcome.” So it was Horton who discovered beer was necessary for survival and was when he started his own brewery. After that new arrivals to the colony were given a welcome package that included 44 gallons of ale. So believe it or not, the brewing process made the water safer to drink.

Horton passed away in Savannah on January 23, 1748 of a malignant fever only thirteen years after his arrival in the colony of Georgia. Captain Raymond Demere got the estate next by being another key figure in the defense of Fort Frederica. Later, a French Sea Captain, Christophe Poulain DuBignon made a plantation here in 1790. He lived in the Horton house and grew Sea Island cotton. The DuBignon family stayed till after the Civil War, 1886. He and his brother, bought all of Jekyll Island and convinced a wealthy businessman to buy and make it into a private hunting club. It would become Jekyll Island Club which brought in Americas wealthiest people to vacation and play.

There is a cemetery surrounded by tabby walls that is located across the street from the Horton House. There are the graves of five people who died in the 19th century and one being, John Eugene DuBignon. He was the one who sold the island to the Jekyll Island Club in the late 1800’s. The cemetery sits under huge oak trees and overlooks a beautiful marsh area. What a beautiful resting spot. The bike trail goes right by this site.

This building has been very well preserved over the last 100 years and is the oldest surviving exterior building in the state. This site is on the National Register of Historic Places and is maintained by Jekyll Island Authority. This historic ruin can now be rented for $1,000 for up to four hours for an event.

So we had another interesting stop with lots of history. We enjoyed seeing the ruin and learning about the history of this amazing building. If you are on Jekyll Island, make sure you stop and take notice of this building. It may not look like much from the outside, but once you learn what was on the inside, you will appreciate it even more. Check it out.

                                                            Until next time. Bye for now.