St. Francis Inn

As residents and visitors stand in front of St. Augustine's baronial bed and breakfast today, Most would imagine and ponder about the history and old stories the building embodies since it was first constructed. In fact, The St. Francis Inn is the oldest Inn in the city to date, How could you not be curious? 

Interestingly enough, The St Francis Inn is not the original name given to this site. Instead it was called the “Garcia-Dummitt House”. Before the name switched over, it originally got its name from the nearby St. Francis barracks. Between 1791 and 1798 the house was built by a gentlemen named Gaspar Garcia who was a wealthy sugar planter from Barbadoes. The most prominent occupants of the house was Colonel Dummit and his family. During the Seminole War, General William Joseph Hardee who is Dummit’s brother- in law occupied the house during the Civil War. Once the war was over, the house had numerous owners and served as a private boarding house and later as an inn.(“Garcia- Dummitt House”). The house is two-and-a-half stories where the first and second floor is made out of Coquina which is a soft limestone of broken shells. You will find that Coquina is a local substance in St. Augustine and that it was used to construct many forts/ houses.  Its captivating to imagine that back then this site served as different family homes! , while today it's known for its romantic ambiance as a bed and breakfast.

Surrounding the St Francis Inn, we have the Gonzalez- Alvarez House which is also known as “The Oldest House” in St. Augustine. The Inn is also enclosed by historical sites, churches, and many other century homes built around the same time period as the Inn was. Dating back to this time, The city was in its second Spanish colonial period. During this time, many of St. Augustine's oldest families settled permanently here. Hernandez, Sanchez and Ponce are family names that still populate the local area today. After the defeat of the British during this period, Spanish rule went to East Florida and its capital St. Augustine in 1783. St. Augustine had many different cultures during the second colonial period and many started to speak English . An important addition to St. Augustine  following this time was the Cathedral-Basilica church which was appreciated since for decades they were holding temporary services in quarters. About two dozen of the buildings that stand today in St. Augustine originated from the second colonial period and were made out of coquina which helped protect the exterior of better homes and churches (“Fleming”).

The St Francis Inn is popularly known for its paranormal activity/experiences that workers and guests have witnessed throughout the years and dating back to early 1900s. One of the most famous tales is about a young man who lived with his uncle named Major William Hardee. The man owned the Inn during the middle of the 19th century. His nephew fell in love with Ms. Lily and was later walked in on by his uncle as the two were in one of the rooms alone. His uncle ordered him never to see her again, which resulted in him becoming severely depressed and led him to the motive of killing himself in what today is known as “Lily's Room”(“Inn Ghosts”). Inn guest and employees have seen apparitions and have plethora of stories and different encounters within “Lily's Room”. Numerous paranormal investigators have paid visits to the St Francis Inn and have announced that there is a number of spirits lingering at the inn. An investigator named Marlene Blanchard , came up with positive results of visual phenomena which included her video camera and pocket watch stopping randomly and a visual of a tall slender Hispanic male around 2:15 am wondering in one of the rooms (“Inn Ghosts”).

Surrounding the St Francis Inn, we have the Gonzalez- Alvarez House which is also known as “The Oldest House” in St. Augustine. The Inn is also enclosed by historical sites, churches, and many other century homes built around the same time period as the Inn was. Dating back to this time, The city was in its second Spanish colonial period. During this time, many of St. Augustine's oldest families settled permanently here. Hernandez, Sanchez and Ponce are family names that still populate the local area today. After the defeat of the British during this period, Spanish rule went to East Florida and its capital St. Augustine in 1783. St. Augustine had many different cultures during the second colonial period and many started to speak English . An important addition to St. Augustine following this time was the Cathedral-Basilica church which was appreciated since for decades they were holding temporary services in quarters. A statistic shows that about two dozen of the buildings that stand today in St. Augustine originated from the second colonial period and were made out of coquina which helped protect the exterior of better homes and churches (“Fleming”).

Fleming , Turner K. Second Spanish Period and the American Government Takes Over Our Town. 2009, www.staugustinelighthouse.com/education/Training/History/Second%20Spanish%20Period%20and%20the%20American%20Government%20Takes%20Over%20Our%20Town.pdf.

Wilson, Gil. “Garcia-Dummitt House St. Francis Inn 279 St. George Street St. Augustine, Florida.” Maryland Law, www.drbronsontours.com/bronsongarciadummitthouse.html .

“Inn Ghosts.” St Francis Inn Bed and Breakfast, 10 Sept. 2015, www.stfrancisinn.com/ghosts/ .