[citation needed] Colonel Seaborn Jones drew all the plans for his home and called it El Dorado, land of beauty.

To this El Dorado, Colonel Seaborn Jones brought his wife and children, a daughter and a son, in 1833.

In 1833, Henry L. Benning, an aspiring young lawyer, wrote a friend: "Above all things (I advise if you desire ease and happiness) marry.

In 1878, the home was purchased by Captain and Mrs. James J. Slade who changed its name to St. Elmo in honor of the novel which it had inspired.

[4] Apparently started by a single candle, the fire did extensive damage to the structure, but was repaired.