Just down the road from the Clam Creek Picnic Area lies the William Horton House Historic Site, our second stop for today.

The island now known as Jekyll had been home to Native inhabitants of the region for thousands of years. Then in the early 16th century, Spanish explorers arrived and started moving in. French explorers arrived a few decades later and also established settlements on the island. Conflicts between the two ensued with the Spanish eventually claiming victory and ownership of the island.

By the mid-17th century, British explorers had migrated south from their Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia. With the help of several native tribes of the region, the British had gained control of the island by the turn of the 18th century.

British General James Oglethorpe arrived in the early 18th century and established the Colony of Georgia in 1733. Oglethorpe took note of Spanish settlements to the south in Florida and began making provisions for defense of the Colony which included recruiting troops and establishing defensive positions.

Among the recruits was William Horton who was sent by Oglethorpe to establish Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island. Horton eventually reached the rank of Major and was placed second in command under Oglethorpe of the entire region. He was granted 500 acres of land on Jekyll Island, and established a successful plantation in 1736 specifically to supply Fort Frederica.

The plantation he established in the early 1740s is now a National Historic Site.

The Horton House was built in 1743 making it one of the oldest buildings in Georgia. It's historical significance was recognized and preservation efforts began in the late-1800s.

One of the reasons why the house still stands is because it is made of Tabby, a native type of concrete.

Tabby is an extremely strong combination of lime, (created from burning oyster shells), water, sand, ash, and broken oyster shells. This thick mixture was then poured into wooden forms.

Several tabby remains can be found throughout the Horton House Historic Site.

This is actually Horton's second home on this site.

Horton's first home was a wooden structure that was destroyed during the Spanish attacks of 1742. This building was completed in 1743.

The Horton House is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the State of Georgia.

A good picture of Danita.

After Horton's death in 1748, Jekyll Island passed through a series of subsequent owners. By 1800, French sea captain and businessman Christophe Poulain duBignon owned all of Jekyll Island. duBignon and his family settled into Horton's Tabby house and entered into the cotton planting business.

Poulain and his descendants owned Jekyll Island until 1886 when the island was sold to the newly formed "Jekyll Island Club." Several members of the duBignon family are buried on the property. The duBignon Cemetery is located across the street from the family home, (i.e. the William Horton House).

Christophe is said to be buried near this area with the only grave marker being an oak tree, meaning it could be anywhere. Christophe's wife, Marguerite, is supposed to be buried near her husband. Other members of the duBignon family are buried in a small cemetery.

Five graves are identified within the cemetery walls. The forward row of graves belongs to the immediate family of Joseph duBignon, Christophe's grandson. The first grave on the left in the photo above is that of Marie Felicite Riffault who was Joseph's mother-in-law. The middle grave, (on the right in the photo), is that of Joseph duBignon.

The grave on the far right in the photo above is that of Anne Amelia duBignon, Joseph's mother. In other words, Joseph is buried in between his mother and mother-in-law. I can imagine the conversations that would take place in the afterlife !

The two smaller gravestones in the second row aren't for members of the duBignon family, but for two Jekyll Island Club employees who drowned in the Jekyll River on March 21, 1912. The left grave is that of Hector DeLiyannis, personal waiter to the J. P. Morgan family. DeLiyannis drowned while trying to rescue another Club waiter Charles Harvey, who also drowned and is buried in the right grave, (partially obscured by the tree).

A walkway behind the cemetery leads to several seating areas that look out over the marshlands.

This seems like a great place to just sit and relax while looking out over the marsh.

The Clam Creek Picnic Area can be seen off in the distance.

I love the calm of the marshlands.

Beautiful large Live Oak trees are everywhere on the island, including the tree seen in the photo above that sits behind the duBignon cemetery.

Large Live Oak tree behind the duBignon cemetery.

A small creek runs beside the cemetery that features two unusual looking trees.

At some point, the bank of the creek eroded away to the point where the trees began to lean.

That didn't seem to bother the trees that much. They just kept growing, albeit slightly horizontal.

The path behind the duBignon cemetery returns to the main North Loop Trail.

I spotted this giant palm tree along the path back to the car.

I snapped a couple of pics before heading back to the car and on to our next stop.