{"id":2400,"date":"2015-07-20T15:42:57","date_gmt":"2015-07-20T22:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/?p=2400"},"modified":"2020-06-29T17:10:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-30T00:10:07","slug":"a-visit-to-horton-house-a-remnant-of-americas-historical-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/a-visit-to-horton-house-a-remnant-of-americas-historical-past\/","title":{"rendered":"A Visit To Horton House, A Remnant Of America’s Historical Past"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Horton<\/p>\n

Jekyll Island, Georgia<\/h2>\n

by Theresa St. John<\/em><\/p>\n

Catching sight of the\u00a0stark remains of Horton House, a two-story tabby structure now tucked beneath the shady branches of Jekyll Island’s Live Oaks,\u00a0I\u00a0felt as if\u00a0I’d\u00a0taken\u00a0a step\u00a0backwards in\u00a0the pages of a history book.\u00a0 This was once a thriving plantation that became a prime target\u00a0during the Spanish raid in 1742,<\/p>\n

During\u00a0my recent stay on Jekyll Island, the hotel manager asked\u00a0what I was interested in doing while vacationing there. I explained that I loved history and\u00a0wanted to learn about anything historical on the island. He laughed out loud and told me I’d need more than\u00a0three days to see it all, but he’d be glad to give\u00a0me some suggestions. Horton House was on the top of his list.<\/p>\n

\"bikeHe explained that Horton House was one of the oldest standing tabby structures in the state of Georgia. When I looked at him strangely, he laughed again.<\/p>\n

“Most people don’t know\u00a0what tabby is, don’t feel bad.” he said.” It was the typical building material of the 18th and 19th century. People would burn oyster shells and use the ash, otherwise known as lime,\u00a0then\u00a0fold in equal parts of sand, water and\u00a0crushed shells. This gave them a significantly strong and thick mixture.” He continued to explain the process to me.<\/p>\n

\"bicycleWhen I told him I was interested in hearing more, he continued: \u00a0“They’d pour it\u00a0into large forms that had been\u00a0made with two parallel\u00a0planks of wood These would\u00a0measure the length of the\u00a0structure’s outer walls.\u00a0When\u00a0each tabby mixture\u00a0had set, the boards would be moved upwards repeatedly,\u00a0until\u00a0the desired height of the home was reached.\u00a0If you really love history, you don’t want to miss\u00a0this piece of it!”<\/p>\n

He pointed his finger to the right and said\u00a0“It’s about five miles, that way.\u201d I decided to\u00a0jump on\u00a0the old-fashioned bicycle I’d rented for the day and pedal along the winding bike paths, while getting a feel for this beautiful 22-mile island. I’d\u00a0take in\u00a0the sight\u00a0of its picturesque oak trees, with their strong branches draped in heavy moss, bending over the roads and walkways, while\u00a0keeping a keen\u00a0eye out for the old manor.<\/p>\n

\"Tabby\"The moment I caught sight of the ruins of Horton House, I stopped short. With its\u00a0scarred openings for windows and wide-open doorways, this deserted house echoed with the\u00a0drama of its last inhabitants. Its two-story structure stood proudly\u00a0beneath the\u00a0overhanging beauty of\u00a0gigantic\u00a0tree branches. I jumped off the bike and parked it nearby.<\/p>\n

I took my time and\u00a0studied each\u00a0of the reader boards placed around the property, wanting to learn as much as I could\u00a0about Jekyll Island’s 18th and 19th century\u00a0history.\u00a0\u00a0As I read more about the\u00a0unique building material called \u2018tabby\u2019 and\u00a0wandered around\u00a0both\u00a0inside and\u00a0outside of this open-air building,\u00a0I could\u00a0clearly see the remaining shells in every\u00a0wall.<\/p>\n

\"cemetery\"The house was built by Major William Horton, second in command,\u00a0serving\u00a0under\u00a0General James Oglethorpe and in charge of troops that were entrenched further North, on St. Simon’s Island. Horton House\u00a0is surrounded by\u00a0rich land, which was\u00a0perfect for\u00a0harvesting cotton and\u00a0indigo, as well\u00a0as hops and barley. Horton\u00a0actually produced Georgia’s first beer and supplied ale to the troops and settlers\u00a0at nearby\u00a0Ft\u00a0Frederica. I wondered what\u00a0a cold glass of that had tasted like, way back when!<\/p>\n

The structure\u00a0standing today is actually Horton’s second home. The first was a wooden building, destroyed\u00a0by fire after the Spanish were defeated\u00a0in 1742 and\u00a0made a hasty retreat from the area, having lost\u00a0the battle of Bloody Marsh.<\/p>\n

Horton, the first Englishman to\u00a0own property on the Island, obtained these 500-acres\u00a0by means of\u00a0a land grant in 1735, when he\u00a0sailed to\u00a0America\u00a0on the\u00a0Symond, a passenger ship.<\/p>\n

\"carvedOne of the\u00a0land grant conditions\u00a0stated that Horton would have to bring 10 indentured servants with him from England, one for each fifty acres of land. He was also\u00a0required to\u00a0have 20% of the land cultivated and sustainable,\u00a0within the first ten years of his settling in Georgia.<\/p>\n

When he initially came to the Island, it\u00a0was extremely\u00a0isolated. His closest neighbors were at\u00a0Frederica, another settlement further North,on\u00a0St.Simons Island. Fort Frederica is where Horton\u00a0was promoted to\u00a0Major, and became second in command under Oglethorpe. The fort\u00a0served to protect settlers from\u00a0Spanish and Native American attacks. In 1742, the British withstood an\u00a0onslaught\u00a0there, in the battle of Bloody Marsh, a\u00a0siege now firmly ensconced in Georgia’s rich history.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

William Horton is also responsible for\u00a0cutting a road across the north end of Jekyll Island, running East\u00a0and West,\u00a0from\u00a0his house to the beach. Today, it is still\u00a0called Horton Road.\u00a0Horton passed away in 1748 while in Savannah.<\/p>\n

\"liveIn 1791, four Frenchmen from Sapelo Island jointly purchased Jekyll Island. Later, one of them,\u00a0Poulain du Bignon, became the sole owner.\u00a0As a young officer, Poulain served in the French Army in India, fighting against Great Britain. Later, he commanded a French Naval vessel. He moved into Horton House in1792, several years\u00a0after the American Revolution.\u00a0Bignon died in 1825. He was eighty-six.\u00a0\u00a0He’s buried with other members of\u00a0his family, across the street\u00a0from Horton House, with a peaceful view of Bignon Creek. A single oak tree\u00a0marks his passing.<\/p>\n

I have always loved historic graveyards and was excited to see that this one was\u00a0a little different than others I’m used to,\u00a0due to\u00a0it’s simplicity and size. A tabby enclosure surrounds the\u00a0small family plot and you can sit on a wooden bench nearby, overlooking the creek. It was windy the morning I went\u00a0and it was as if I could hear\u00a0voices from the distant past, carried on the breeze\u00a0that whispered through\u00a0the swaying tree branches.<\/p>\n

\"sideThe remaining Bignon family continued to own Jekyll Island, working together to manage the plantation and it’s crops. Eventually they decided to sell the property to a group of millionaires in 1886. They, in turn, promptly formed The Jekyll Island Club, a playground for the rich and famous. Many of the world’s wealthiest families became members in it’s heyday. Most notably were the Morgan, Vanderbilt and Rockefeller empires.Today, the Jekyll Island Club is a luxury resort and a member of the Historic Hotels Of America.<\/p>\n

Jekyll Island lies off\u00a0the\u00a0coast of Georgia and is\u00a0known as\u00a0one of the Golden Isles. It’s one of\u00a0four barrier Islands, which also includes St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island and nearby Brunswick. It’s exquisite beauty and warm invitation to the endless adventure there is unrivaled. With museums, hotels, gorgeous beaches and historic places preserved with great diligence and\u00a0care, you won’t mind paying the $6 to gain entrance and you won’t want to miss this\u00a0amazing piece of history.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nJekyll Island Tour<\/a><\/p>\n

If You Go:<\/h3>\n

Jekyll Island, Georgia<\/a><\/p>\n

Jekyll Island Chamber of Commerce<\/a><\/p>\n

Jekyll Island on Map Quest<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>\"\"About the author:<\/em>
\nTheresa St.John is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in Saratoga Springs, New York. Even though history was not on her radar while in high school, she has a deep interest in all things historical now. She has been on assignment for several magazines and is published in both print and on-line venues. Last year she traveled to Ireland on assignment, which, she\u00a0states ” was a trip of a lifetime.”\u00a0She landed the cover photo and feature article in Vacation Rental Travels Magazine\u00a0highlighting her adventures there. She has written for Great Escape, International Living, Saratoga Springs Life Magazine, The Observation Post newspaper, Discover Saratoga and is a successful contributor to many stock photography sites. She is the proud mom to two young men and Nonnie to 5 rescued dogs, 2 Chinchillas and a bird. Life is good, she says. Theresa\u00a0vacations in\u00a0Fiji this Fall and looks forward to another great travel writing\/ photography\u00a0opportunity in the South Pacific.<\/p>\n

All photos by Theresa St. John:<\/em>
\nFront view of Horton House
\nBike path way with Georgia’s Live Oaks and hanging moss
\nRustic bicycle outside Horton House
\nTabby, typically used in the 18th and 19th century
\nCemetery
\nCarved headstone
\nCemetery with lone Live Oak tree
\nView of Horton House from distance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jekyll Island, Georgia by Theresa St. John Catching sight of the\u00a0stark remains of Horton House, a two-story tabby structure now tucked beneath the shady branches of Jekyll Island’s Live Oaks,\u00a0I\u00a0felt as if\u00a0I’d\u00a0taken\u00a0a step\u00a0backwards in\u00a0the pages of a history book.\u00a0 This was once a thriving plantation that became a prime target\u00a0during the Spanish raid in 1742, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[496,509],"class_list":{"0":"post-2400","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-north-america-travel","8":"tag-georgia-travel","9":"tag-jekyll-island-attractions","10":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelthruhistory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}