Horton-duBignon House, Brewery Ruins, duBignon Cemetery
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Along Riverview Drive on Jekyll Island stand the remains of an early English outpost: a roofless two-story tabby house, the crumbling walls of a brewery, and a small family cemetery. Major William Horton built the house and brewery around 1736 on the orders of General James Oglethorpe, who wanted a military presence on the island. Horton's brewery, the first in Georgia, supplied soldiers at Fort Frederica on Saint Simons Island. The Spanish burned the house in 1742. From 1791 the island belonged to the duBignon family, French refugees who repaired the house and grew indigo and Sea Island cotton. Family members were buried in the cemetery, and the Civil War ended the plantation economy. Later, Jekyll Island Club members braced the ruins and walled the cemetery. The state bought the island in 1947. The three sites form a district that preserves the island's military and plantation past, in contrast to the nearby club complex.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Areas of significance | Industry, Agriculture, Military, Architecture, Social History |
|---|---|
| Acreage | 9.9 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Horton-duBignon House, Brewery Ruins, duBignon Cemetery (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.