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
Posted in Beachscape, July 2009, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

For a fun family event, raise a jovial mug of (ginger) ale or (root) beer near the site of Georgia’s first brewery, and watch 18th-century British military re-enactors perform musket drills. The soldiers are rallying their defenses against further attacks on Jekyll Island’s strategic shores.

Saturday, July 12, 2008 at 2:00 p.m., Horton House, one of the oldest standing tabby structures in Georgia, where colonial re-enactors will demonstrate 18th-century activities and present the story of the 1742 Spanish raid on Jekyll Island following the Battle of Bloody Marsh.
Fort Frederica National Monument and the Jekyll Island Museum will team up to present this joint program on Georgia’s early colonial history.
Learn about Major William Horton, his family, his servants, and his property on Jekyll Island, as well as their significant role in producing goods to supply the needs of the fledgling British colony. Investigate early British military life, the events of the Battle of Bloody Marsh and the raid on Jekyll Island, and why Horton was a target for the Spanish.

Musket demonstrations, children’s activities, food and drink, and interactions with the interpreters provide a fun and memorable way to learn about the early colonial life of the island, said John Hunter, the director of the Jekyll Island Museum.

“Children will have a chance to make a colonial toy, play some games, and talk to costumed interpreters,” Hunter said. “Participating in activities and visiting with people who seem to step out of the past really brings history alive for them. With Fort Frederica’s help, the Jekyll Island Museum is proud to offer this outstanding living history opportunity.”

During the living history event, general parking will be available both before and after the split-rail fencing that lines Riverview Drive leading up to Horton House. The site is also a pleasant bike ride away from both the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District and the Clam
Creek Picnic Area.

Visit www.youtube.com/user/JekyllIslandMuseum to view a video clip of last year’s event! Co-sponsored by Fort Frederica National Monument and the Jekyll Island Museum. For more information, call 912-635-4036.

Tags: 18th century, battle of bloody marsh, fort frederica, horton house, Jekyll Island History Museum, re-enacting, spanish invasion
Posted in July 2008 | 2 Comments »

The recent installation of 28 new interpretive panels by the Jekyll Island Museum is a matter of celebration to Gretchen Greminger, the Jekyll Island Museum’s curator.

Greminger is excited that the new installations will provide an additional opportunity for tourists to become aware of the amazing depth of history tied to Jekyll Island’s past.

“In the past, we have missed opportunities to connect with some of our casual guests who are just passing through,” Greminger noted.

“These visitors may be walking through our historic district, or biking along our trails, but if they don’t pick up a brochure they may not already be familiar with Jekyll Island’s mesmerizing history. We don’t want them to miss all that the museum has to offer.”

The new panels were created to help counteract this problem. Four of the panels replaced old outdated maps in the historic district, 16 brand new information panels were scattered throughout the historic district, and for the first time, eight panels have been placed at the Horton House Historic Site.

Greminger noted that the project would not have been possible without the support of the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island, who contributed approximately $40,000 to fund the project. “It was the financial support of the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island that really enabled this project to move forward. The museum would not have been able to complete such an ambitious project without such assistance,”

Greminger stated.

Greminger emphasized that, through the panels, the museum has the opportunity to share lesser-known details about the island, stating “Some panels convey stories about the architects of the buildings or about those club members who did not build cottages on the island, but still made important contributions to our history.”

“They also allow us to share our oral histories and photographs in order to illustrate the lives of the employees of the club,” Greminger added. “The club employees were truly the backbone of the Jekyll Island Club. They lived here and enjoyed the opportunities present on Jekyll Island, just as the club members did.”

The stories, pictures and details presented in the information panels are different than what is shared in the museum’s walking tour guidebooks and guided museum tours, Greminger said.

“We wanted to provide a layering of information,” she explained. “From a marketing standpoint, we hope to intrigue people and interest them in taking our guided tours to find out more. But the panels will also be informative for those who do not plan to take a tour during this visit.”

Greminger is especially pleased that the panels enable the museum to present new stories and to share some the wealth of material that the museum collects in its photo archives.

“We were able to digitize about 1,000 new photographs from the collection as part of this project,” Greminger said. “Working on these information panels has enhanced our knowledge, increased our database of material, and expanded our ability to provide information to researchers at the museum.”

The interpretive panels can be located by following the maps available in the Jekyll Island Museum’s new brochures or by discovering one of the information panels with maps placed on them. These panels are typically placed near parking lots.

“These interpretive panels truly are an outdoor exhibition, and well worth the investment of seeking them out,” Greminger said. “Ride a bike, take a walk, and enjoy Jekyll Island’s beautiful scenery in your hunt for the panels. Discover why the Jekyll Island Museum truly is a historic site museum.”

Tags: historic site, horton house, Jekyll Island Beachscape, jekyll island museum
Posted in Beachscape, January 2008, Page 1 | No Comments »