Horton’s House : Made from Tabby

British visionary and military leader, General James Oglethorpe, negotiated the settlement  and founding of the colony of Georgia in 1732.

In 1735 a Major William Horton paid for his passage to America on one of General Oglethorpe’s ships.  The significance of paying his own passage was that in America he was granted 500 acres of land on which to settle.  A condition of this was, however, that he was expected to bring 10 indentured servants, one for every 50 acres, and have 20% of this granted land in cultivation within 10 years.

William Horton was the first European to settle on Jekyll Island.  His closest neighbor was a settlement on St. Simmonds Island to the north.  Fort Fredrica was also based here and provided protection to settlers from Spanish and Native American attacks.  It was at Fort Fredrica that the British colony was defended in an attack by the Spanish in 1742.  The tactical win by the English military here in the Battle of Bloody Marsh ensured that British rule was firmly established in Georgia.  William Horton’s wooden house was, however, burned by the Spanish after this defeat.  He subsequently built his second utilizing Tabby – which is  a mixture of oyster shells, sand, water and lime.  The ruins, pictured below, remain to this day.

Ruins of Horton’s House