Horton House Historic Site, Colonial historic site in Jekyll Island, United States.
Horton House Historic Site is a colonial-era property on Jekyll Island, Georgia, made up of standing tabby walls, a building material composed of oyster shells, lime, and sand. The grounds also contain foundation remains and a small cemetery that together form the main elements of the site.
Major William Horton built this house in 1743 after Spanish forces burned down his first building, making it one of the oldest surviving structures in Georgia. The DuBignon family took over the property in the late 18th century and used it for different purposes.
The cemetery on the grounds holds the graves of the French DuBignon family, who took over the property in the late 18th century. Their headstones are still visible today and give a direct sense of the lives of early settlers along this stretch of coast.
The grounds are open year-round and have educational panels on site that explain the historical context of what you are looking at. The site is easy to combine with other stops on Jekyll Island, which has several historic and natural points of interest nearby.
William Horton ran what is considered Georgia's first brewery on this property, supplying beer to the nearby Frederica Settlement. He also grew crops to feed the colony, which shows how much activity this single property supported at the time.
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