By Andrea Marroquin, Museum Specialist
On Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 2:00 pm, venture to Horton House on Jekyll Island, Georgia and meet Major William Horton, a British colonial officer, and his company of soldiers and indentured servants, in a joint living history program offered by Fort Frederica National Monument and the Jekyll Island Museum.
Horton, portrayed by Jon Burpee of Fort Frederica National Monument, bellows orders at the 18th century British soldiers drilling with muskets on the grounds, entreats the crowd to join ranks for the safety of the fledgling colony, and explains his grievances against the Spanish. Horton is determined to hold both his Jekyll Island estate and Fort Frederica for England.
Soldiers from the Castillo at St. Augustine have been at odds with the English colonists and tensions have been mounting for years. Overtures of peace between the two nations once took place right at Jekyll Island. Now that peace has been broken and the Spanish have grievances of their own. British soldiers are now on constant guard against the appearance of Spanish soldiers in their midst.
Horton was the first Englishman to obtain property on Jekyll Island, acquiring a 500-acre land grant in 1735. Horton gained much stature as an officer in the Royal Colony of Georgia. He was placed in charge of the fort on St. Simon’s Island during General Oglethorpe’s absence in England in 1736 and later commanded troops in defense of the colony. During food shortages he supplied corn and beef to Fort Frederica from his own personal supplies on Jekyll Island.
Because of his importance, he became a target of the Spanish from St. Augustine. His original two-story wooden house was burned by the Spanish as they retreated across the island following the Battle of Bloody Marsh in July of 1742. This would be the Spanish Army’s final strike against the British in the Colony of Georgia.
John Hunter is the director of the Jekyll Island Museum, a division of the Jekyll Island Authority, which maintains the Horton House Historic Site. Hunter points out that the year 1742 was an eventful one for Horton.
“In 1742, Horton was placed in command of a new grenadier company of thirty men. His wife and children finally joined him in Georgia after being an ocean apart for many years. Fort Frederica was raided by the Spanish. Finally, his house was burned down and his crops and livestock were destroyed. That all happened by mid-summer!” Hunter exclaimed. “There was constant excitement.”
With the help of his indentured servants, Horton rebuilt his home by the following year. The sturdy tabby house still stands today, one of the earliest standing tabby structures in Georgia.
Guests are invited to participate in the colonial life of the island through an assortment of activities. These activities are designed to share information about Horton, his family, his servants, and his property on the island, as well as their significant role in producing goods to supply the needs of the struggling British colony.
Horton’s servants will demonstrate various chores such as carding and spinning wool, soap making, and blacksmithing, which were all essential skills in the colonial era.
In contrast to such labors, guests can try their skills in a variety of 18th century entertainments on the front lawn. Games might include such favorites as hoop rolling, graces, sack racing, and more.
During the living history program, visitors can quench their thirst with a dram of Major Horton’s finest beverages. Horton, who established Georgia’s first brewery, will offer up his best hospitality inside of Horton House, with family-friendly drinks poured by his servants. Visitors will be served frothy mugs of ginger-flavored “ale” (ginger ale) or root-flavored “beer” (root beer).
Through musket demonstrations, children’s games, food and drink, guests can experience the strategically important role of Jekyll Island in the struggle for British survival in the New World.
For more information, call or visit the Jekyll Island Museum on Stable Road, 912-635-4036. Admission to the living history program is free of charge.
Tags: barrier islands, British colony, british soldiers, family vacation, fort frederica, georgia history, Georgia Tourism, georgia's jewel, golden isles, historical reenactments, horton house, jekyll island, Jekyll Island Events, jekyll island history, jekyll island museum, major william horton, Stable Road, tabbie, tabbie ruins, tabby
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Uzma was selected to participate in the Asian Scholarship Program for in-situ Chelonian Conservation (www.ASPin-situCC.org) for 2009. The program sends its students to work with several turtle conservation organizers around the globe. This is the first year that the Georgia Sea Turtle Center has been involved with the program. Of the many great ways to conserve wildlife, the ASPin-situCC chooses students from Asia. All participants have a vested community interest in their local native turtles, primarily freshwater and brackish water inhabitants. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center was Uzma’s first training opportunity within the US. She was exposed to a wide variety of activities during her stay; loggerhead turtle nest monitoring on three Georgia barrier islands, night patrol for the saturation tagging program on Jekyll Island, diamondback terrapin conservation (rehabilitation, release, road mortality surveys, egg extraction, hatchling rearing, PIT tag plaements and shell notching,) observation of education efforts at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, 2 satellite transmitter placements, blood drawing, PIT tagging and flipper tagging sea turtles, and participation in a loggerhead sea turtle necropsy. She also participated in the release of three rehabilitated Georgia Sea Turtle Center patients on Amelia Island, FL. It is our hope that her experiences here will help in Uzma’s efforts to protect turtles and other wildlife in Pakistan.
Monday, June 8 
Wednesday, June 10 
Friday, June 12 
In 1984 Len Poleszak founded the Jekyll Island Arts Association’s Guild and Pottery Shop. Si Fryer, one of the founders of the JIAA introduced Len to the craft that would change his life. The first time at a wheel Len immediately centered and threw a pot. No one was more surprised than he was and Len became hooked with “playing in the clay.” Over the years, he won prizes in JIAA festivals, sold lots of pots, exhibited many times, enjoyed teaching others and was always eager to learn more.
When the going gets tough the tough get going, well that’s what the marketing team of the Days Inn & Suites has done. With the slow down in tourism and everyone watching every penny spent, it was important to get the word out that the Days Inn & Suites would offer creative specials to not only help their bottom line, but also the savvy traveler looking for a deal. The team came up with “The temperature of the Day Rate” last winter when the temperatures dropped down in the 30’s and even 20’s the guests walking into the hotel seeking a room paid what the outside thermometer read at time of check in!
If there’s a detective lurking inside you just waiting to solve a “whodunit,” here’s the opportunity to become a super sleuth. The Jekyll Island Club Hotel has “An Island Getaway That’s Murder,” August 21-23, 2009. Expect the unexpected. Search for clues and solve the crime!
