Historic Vacation Rental Home in the heart of SOUTHOLD, ON THE NORTH FORK of LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK

(Click on bold type to follow the links for more information). The name Horton came from the English word "horr" meaning "ravine" or "a town in the ravine". The first Horton to set foot on American soil, Barnabas Horton, was the son of Joseph Horton and Mary Schuyler, of Leicestershire, England. He may have been from the small hamlet of Horton, Buckinghamshire, England; fourteen miles from London and four miles from Leighton Buzzard. However, more likely he was born on 13 July 1600 in Mowsley, (Mousley) Leicestershire, England. An historically important area, Leicestershire was the earldom of Simon b. de Montfort, leader of the baron's revolt against Henry III which brought about the first parliament. Leicester Castle, a Saxon stronghold, was rebuilt by Normans in 1086. (Cardinal Wolsey died in the abbey there in 1530). Mowsley, however, eventually disappeared from English maps.

According to Warren Hall's 'Pagans, Puritans, Patriots of Yesterday's Southold", Barnabas Horton was a "big, strong, ruddy-faced, genial man" who was a baker by trade, but could make a living doing almost anything. He sailed to the New World on "The Swallow" sometime between 1633 and 1638 and landed at Hampton, Massachusettes where Barnabas had a grant of land. Captain Jeremiah or Jeremy Horton was master and owner of the Swallow from 1635 to 1638. By 1640, Barnabas, his wife and two children were living in New Haven, Connecticut, along with the Rev. John Youngs, William Welles, Peter Hollock, John Tuthill, Richard Terry, Thomas Mapes, Mathias Corwin, Robert Ackerly, Jacob Corey, John Conklin, Isaac Arnold and John Budd. All members of Puritan Churches in England, they sailed for the east end of Long Island, now Southold. where, on the 21st day of October, 1640, they formed a Congregational Church. These 13 families were the first English settlers in the future New York.

Barnabas Horton's first wife was Anne Smith of Stanton, New Hamptonshire, England. They married in 1622 and after her death in 1629, Barnabas then married Mary Langton and they had 8 children. On October 21, 1641, Barnabas and Mary were organizers of the Congregational Church of the new town of Southold, Long Island. As a leading citizen of Southold, Barnabas went on to serve as deputy of the General Court in New Haven between 1654 and 1664. He became a freeman of Connecticut Colony in 1662 and was on of the town's patentees, along with his son Joshua in 1676.

Barnabas built the first frame home on eastern Long Island. He and four of his sons are said to have had the most land and wealth 1188 pounds worth - of the 82 taxpayers of Southold in 1675. Agriculture was the main source of their wealth. A new crop, tobacco, had brought them high prices abroad giving them a lucrative business. The new industry also brought slaves to the area. In the late 1600's, there were 800 whites, 40 Indians and, 41 blacks in Southold. Barnabas Horton died in 1680, Southold, New York. As was the tradition, the house passed to the youngest son, Jonathan Horton, who married Bethia Wells. It is their youngest son James after whom the Deacon James Horton House is named. Deacon James Horton was Barnabas Horton's Grandson and this is his house.

The House

The oldest part of the Deacon James Horton House originates from one that was once closer to Corey Creek. Built in 1711 by Bethia Wells Horton, widow of Captain Jonathan Horton for her son (Deacon) James, it was the first colonial (or Christian) building on the Bayview peninsula. Deacon James (1694-1762), married to Anna Goldsmith (1699-1783), lived there until his death. One of his sons, Captain Barnabas Horton (1720-1787), became known for assistance rendered to refugees, aside from some privateering efforts, both of which must have entailed the scorn of the British, who purportedly fired a number of shots at his house on the Creek. Although three cannon balls were reported saved at the Riverhead Museum, none of them were recently found on display.

Barnabas’ son Colonel Benjamin ( ), together with his brother Gilbert ( ) built a new house on the current location of Deacon James Horton House in 1793. This is now the eastern side of the present house and constitutes the largest part of the building. In its original form, it was heated by a central chimney, which was custom at the time. Also at that time, or possibly later, the homestead at Corey Creek was moved adjacent to the eastern side of the new house and used as an extension for the growing family (2 wives, with 2, resp. 13 children). The James Tuthill School was established in the attic of the new addition, the first school in Bayview.

Almost sixty years later, David Austin Horton, in preparations for his wedding to Margaret Conkling of Orange County remodelled the large house according to the new Greek Revival (or Georgian?) style. In the process, the central chimney was removed and replaced with two symmetrical end chimneys (reflecting Georgian style), adding to the large structure of 1793. Also, the hallway was enlargad and made open (rather than enclosed in wood panels), with representative mahogany railing. Plaster ceilings, embellished with a cornice and the post and beam structure, previously enclosed with finishing wood panels (even downstairs), were chiselled out to yield a clean corner look, in alignment with the desired Greek Revival (Georgian?) appearance.

Very likely during the late 19^th century, the small house on the east side (the original Deacon James House structure) was topped up by a full floor (indicated by mill-cut new posts and beams) to provide enhanced living space and, in the process, obscuring windows in the upper floor of the 1793 house. The current, large country kitchen is a Victorian addition (around the turn of the 20^th century) and constitutes the traditional L-shape of Early American buildings of the time. In parts, it still shows the original matchboard ceiling and panelling, together with pieces of the old cornice, inside the pantry closets.

The house further acquired a large Victorian porch, which spread over the entire street front of the small house and turned around to cover the western side as well. Currently, only the western side survives. In this form, the house managed to remain in the same family for the period of nearly 250 years, when it was finally sold away after the death of Mary Landon Dayton in 1956, last owner of the family home.

Restoration

Since the Deacon James Horton House represents an assembly of houses grown together and subject to style changes over time, the restoration objective is to preserve the best of key periods. On the inside, the large house (1793 section) was preserved downstairs in the Greek Revival (Georgian?) style, with its plaster ceiling and cornice and normal corners in the walls. Upstairs, the hallway and rooms retain their 18^th century appearance, with painted structural timbers and white plaster walls, with only the mantelpieces indicating the later Greek Revival updating (but painted 18^th century style instead of the usual white).

Modernization in the eastern part (the smaller house) had by 1990 unfortunately progressed to a point where it own center chimney had disappeared, the Cod Style house had lost its front door and main stairs, amongst other details. Even so, the remaining space today still preserves much of the house’s charm. The L-kitchen has returned to its Victorian stature, where wainscoting and matchboard ceiling dominate.