See a famous Georgia mansion before it burned to the ground

Destroyed by fire: the historic Georgia house lost forever

Once a grand plantation mansion built by Yankees co-owner T. L. Huston, this historic Georgia estate harbored stories of baseball legends and dark chapters of American history. From hosting Babe Ruth to surviving hurricanes, discover the intriguing past of Huston House—until its eventual abandonment, and its ultimate fiery end in 2024 that left only ashes. 

Click or scroll on to uncover the hidden secrets of the elegant mansion, its ties to slavery and the fateful events leading to its destruction...

A clapboard house tucked out of sight

The house and its surrounding land were captured by photographer Leland Kent of Abandoned Southeast back in 2019 before it was lost forever in a tragic incident.

Completed in 1927, Huston House is a traditional Colonial-style design featuring a pitched roof, dormer windows, brick chimneys, and narrow clapboard siding, as well as two classic porches.

A beautiful building

The imposing timber-framed house, which was arranged over three storys, had a total of 11 spacious rooms, including several grand reception rooms, six bedrooms, and three-and-a-half bathrooms – more than enough space for its notable owner Huston, his family, and the many visitors who stayed there.

Meet 'Cap' T.L. Huston

The famous co-owner of the New York Yankees, Tillinghast L'Hommedieu (T. L) Huston was pivotal in the Major League Baseball team's rise to the top. After selling his stake in 1922, Huston used the proceeds to build the elegant clapboard mansion in Georgia on a site steeped in history. 

Born in Buffalo, New York in 1867, T. L. Huston – nicknamed Cap – trained as a civil engineer and went on to serve as a captain in Cuba during the Spanish-American War of 1898. Following the conflict, Huston remained in the country to help rebuild its infrastructure, establishing a small fortune while he oversaw the construction of motorways, ports, and sewerage systems.

Yankees purchase

In 1915, Huston partnered with Jacob Ruppert to buy the struggling New York Yankees baseball team, paying $460,000 – $14.3 million in today's money – for the then-ailing club. The duo spent lavishly on new talent and the team's fortunes began to turn around spectacularly. 

Major signing

The pair's major achievement came in 1920 when they bagged legendary player George Herman 'Babe' Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for $125,000, which works out at around $2 million in today's money. Widely regarded as 'The Deal of the Century', the purchase cemented the Yankees' success, and then some.

By 1921, the club even amassed enough money to build a shiny new stadium of its own in the heart of the Bronx. Huston, who had been promoted from captain to colonel during the First World War, sold his stake to Ruppert in 1922 for $1.5 million, a whopping $28.1 million in today's money.

High-profile guests

 In 1926, Huston used the proceeds of the sale to snap up the Butler Island Plantation near Darien, Georgia, and set about building an elegant clapboard mansion. Huston often entertained guests at the property. He retained close links with the New York Yankees and hosted a number of the team's players, including Babe Ruth. Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics outfielder Ty Cobb is also said to have stayed at the house. But the property wasn't just a haven of leisure and relaxation.

The story behind the plantation

Long before Huston bought the land, it was a notorious plantation established by Major Pierce Butler in the 1790s. The estate housed hundreds of enslaved West Africans forced to live and work in brutal conditions. Butler, originally from Ireland, served as adjutant general in the South Carolina militia before joining the Continental Congress.

His grandson, Pierce Mease Butler, inherited the plantation and spent the winter of 1838-39 there with his wife, British actress Fanny Kemble. A passionate abolitionist, Kemble was horrified by the cruelty she witnessed and documented the inhumane treatment of the enslaved in her journal.

The Weeping Time

The couple divorced in 1849, partly as a result of their widely differing stances on slavery, and Butler went on to run up massive debts. To save himself from poverty, the unscrupulous slaveholder organized one of the largest single sales of enslaved people in US history in March 1859. The Great Slave Auction, also known as the Weeping Time, separated families and caused untold distress.

In defiance of her ex-husband, Kemble went on to publish her anti-slavery journal, which was lauded by abolitionists.

Reminders of the past

The chimney of the rice mill and brick kiln are the only original plantation structures that have survived to the present day and are stark reminders of the estate's dark history. 

After the war and the outlawing of slavery, Butler attempted to operate the plantation with free labor but was unable to turn a profit. The estate remained in the ownership of the Butler family until it was acquired by T. L. Huston in 1926.

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Huston's plan for the estate

Not long after he bought the estate, Huston arranged the construction of a dairy barn for raising Guernsey cattle. Locals are said to have raved about the quality of milk, which was purportedly considered the finest for miles around.

A penchant for persistence

Nonetheless, Huston struggled with the dairy farm, likely due to the hot and humid Georgia climate. Huston threw in the towel in 1932, selling off the remaining cows to the highest bidder.

He had more success with his next venture, an iceberg lettuce farm. In next to no time, the estate was producing one of the biggest iceberg lettuce crops east of the Rocky Mountains.

Sudden passing

On 29 March 1938, Huston suffered a devastating heart attack and passed away at his desk in the mansion's study. The property, complete with the lucrative iceberg lettuce-growing business, was sold to entrepreneur Richard J. Reynolds Junior after the Second World War.

By the 1970s, vegetable production had ceased. The once-grand property fell into disrepair and eventually passed into the hands of the Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Division.

Faded grandeur

Back in 2019, the property's palatial past was still clear to see. While the entrance hall had suffered from neglect, its grand proportions would've been dazzling back in its heyday. Seemingly affected by rising damp – the house was located in one of the most humid parts of the US after all – paint was peeling off the ceiling and the hardwood flooring was dull and cloudy. 

Brimming with potential

Be that as it may, the entrance hall looked to have been in a reasonable state when Leland Kent visited the property, with key elements such as the staircase and wall paneling still in good condition. If the house were still standing, it shouldn't have been too much of a challenge to restore the space to its former glory.

Ornate interiors

Huston clearly didn't scrimp when it came to outfitting the interiors of his charming clapboard mansion. Beautiful wood paneling and built-in bookcases adorned the walls of the parlor, while the room's piece-de-resistance, a stunning marble fireplace, was in excellent decorative order decades after Huston's passing. 

Marble masterpiece

Blackened over the years by layers of soot, the brick hearth looked like it had warmed the house through many a Georgia winter, but the ornate marble fireplace surround had more or less kept its white exterior. 

Note the pair of sconces that were mounted above the hearth. By 2019, the fixtures had been fitted with electric candlesticks, but back in Huston's heyday they may have held the real deal.

Elegant proportions

It's not hard to imagine the palatial property playing host to some of society's biggest sporting names way back when. Featuring elegant double glass doors and spectacular warm wood cladding that enveloped the room from floor to ceiling, this elaborate space surely saw its fair share of soirées over the centuries.

Property in peril

When Leland Kent photographed the house in 2019, concern was growing among the community about the fate of the home, which was showing signs of succumbing to the elements.

That same year, local conservation organization the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed Huston House and the former plantation on its Places in Peril list for 2019. Many properties have been saved from ruin after appearing on the trust's round-up of endangered buildings, but sadly Huston House wasn't quite so lucky.

Diamond in the rough

Moving up through the house, the first-floor landing and staircase appeared to be in even better condition than the entrance hall and parlor when Kent toured the house. While the wood floor was scratched in some areas and paint was coming away from the ceiling, the damage appeared to be reasonably superficial. 

Delicate details

Many original features including gorgeous cast iron radiators and ornate windows remained in place. From the outlook of this small bathroom, you could catch a glimpse of the old rice mill chimney, which dominated the grounds.

Vintage charm

More historic design gems were found in the master bathroom too. The antique pedestal sink may have been rusting in places, but just look at those beautiful mint-green subway tiles, framed by a black tiled trim. This promising space had so much potential for renovation. 

Rustic retreat

Clad floor to ceiling in warm wood, this cozy bedroom tucked away in the eaves offered another enchanting space in need of rescue. The window alcove was particularly charming – just add a window seat and you'd have had the perfect vantage point to admire the estate from.

Exterior damage

Outside, the home's side porch wasn't in the best of shape, having been damaged by the brunt of hurricanes and extreme weather over the decades. The glass that once shielded residents from the elements was missing, the screened door had come off its hinges and the brick paving was in dire need of some care.

Renovation attempts

The mansion was previously used as offices for the Georgia Nature Conservancy, a registered charity, but it had sat vacant for some time. While the house had been strictly off-limits in more recent years, the grounds were open to the public and proved popular with picnickers, anglers, and bird watchers.

According to Abandoned Coastal Georgia, members of the community began renovations on the estate's last remaining dairy barn and milking parlor in June 2024, using public donations and money from their own pockets to fund the urgent repairs. 

Disaster strikes

Just as the property's fortunes were looking up, disaster struck Huston House on June 26, 2024. Firefighters were called to the estate when smoke was seen billowing out of the windows of the farmhouse. While they did their best to fend off the blaze, the historic house was engulfed in fire. Huston House tragically succumbed to the flames, leaving only its foundations and a pile of debris behind.

Heartbreakingly, Georgia's House of Representatives passed a bill in March 2024 supporting the creation of an authority to help preserve the memory and heritage of the Weeping Time and landmarks relating to the dark period in the region's history. Under the authority, the house and estate may have received funding for restoration.

A tragic end

According to local Georgia TV station ABC 4 News, the blaze was seemingly not a freak accident. The channel reported that witnesses had described seeing a man fleeing from Huston House shortly before it went up in flames. In a news release, Lieutenant Mike Ward of the McIntosh County Sheriff's Department said a man, who appeared to have taken items from the property, had been charged with arson, theft, and other crimes.

It seems a particularly sorry end to a home steeped in such rich history and the property's loss has been keenly felt across the area. While it may have been reduced to ashes, Huston House continues to live on in local lore.

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