I recently took a brief trip to Jekyll Island, which is primarily known for its beautiful beaches. However, my visit was to the Horton House, a historic site. The remains of the home, built in 1743 and one of Georgia’s oldest surviving tabby structures, provide a fascinating glimpse into the past. The sturdy walls, openings for doors and windows, and the façade with its charming scars all tell stories of the colonial life that once flourished on Georgia’s barrier islands. Although it now stands as a mere shell, this building serves as a powerful testament to the rich historical significance of the area, inviting us to explore and appreciate its legacy.
The House Itself
In the early colonial days, Major William Horton acquired 500 acres on Jekyll Island from Georgia’s trustees for the modest sum of one pound, one shilling, and a pledge to develop the land with the help of ten indentured servants. As the commander of Fort Frederica on nearby St. Simons Island, Horton saw Jekyll as a fertile opportunity. He wasted no time planting crops such as hops and rye. Alongside his home, he established the first brewery in the Deep South—supplying beer to colonists at a time when Georgia’s original laws banned alcohol. Beer, however, was considered safer than the often-contaminated water, so its presence quickly became accepted and even essential.
Today, Horton’s home—recognized on the National Register of Historic Places—stands as one of Georgia’s oldest surviving tabby concrete structures. Burning oyster shells crafted this unique building material to make lime, then blending it with sand, crushed shells, and water to create a sturdy slurry poured into wooden molds.
In 1794, Christophe Poulain DuBignon, a wealthy former privateer from the American Revolution, returned from France to Georgia, seeking refuge from the upheaval of the French Revolution. Trading his stake in the Sapelo Company for land on Jekyll Island, he steadily expanded his holdings until his family owned the entire island by the century’s end. The DuBignons made Horton House their home, and for decades, its weathered tabby walls sheltered generations of island life.
Until Next time, Knowledge is Power
