Georgia’s oldest house has ties to our first brewery

Horton House on Jekyll Island, a tabby structure dating back to 1743, is thought to be the oldest home in Georgia. It was built by Major William Horton, a top aide to General James Oglethorpe and has been preserved as an example of building techniques in coastal Georgia.

Horton is remembered for another first. Concerned about the poor quality of the drinking water on the coast that led to people dying from dysentery, he decided to brew beer, which was safer to drink. He began growing rye, barley and hops and ordered equipment to distill beer, establishing Georgia’s first brewery.

– Jan Schroder, The Georgia 100