Front Hall - Public Lobby

After traveling to St. Augustine upriver by steamboat or by ocean schooner, guests would arrive at the Inn by stage coach and enter through the door off Aviles Street. Here the visitors' trunks would be kept while waiting to be taken to their rooms. Trunks hold all their clothes and personal items for a two-week stay or even longer. On the floor is a spittoon surrounded by oilcloth in case anyone had a bad aim. You will see spittoons in several rooms, as many visitors had coughing diseases (consumption) and it was common for the men to chew and spit tobacco.

Dining Room

This is where the adult guests would eat; children would have been fed in the kitchen. They would have breakfast, the main meal at midday and a light supper of leftovers in the evening since there was no refrigeration. The midday meal was 3 courses of 9 dishes each and could consist of wild game like bear, turkey and deer, fresh seafood, oysters, sea turtles, beef & other domestic meats. They had plenty of local fruits and vegetables. The cellaret holds the wine that they drank during dinner. Over the table is a punkah. A servant would have pulled the ropes to make the fan move, mainly to keep the flies away from the food. After the guests left, the servants would wash the dishes in the dry sink and then place them back on the table, ready for the next meal.

Guest Parlor

Typical of a hotel lobby, guests would write letters, share the latest newspaper and visit.  In inclement weather when they couldn’t go to the beach, they might play games such as chess or loo. Mother of pearl markers carved in the shape of fish were used to make bets. The wells on the card table were called fishponds. The pattern of the painted canvas rug was found in a vintage Harpers Weekly magazine and is period correct. The canvas was stenciled, painted, and 25-30 layers of shellac were applied to this forerunner of linoleum.

Captain's Room

St. Augustine was served extensively by schooners bringing in supplies as well as passengers. Steam-boating increased in importance during and after the Seminole War as transportation by water became a necessity due to the lack of roads. In 1839 the steamer, Florida, ran once a week from Savannah (GA), to Picolata (FL), stopping at Brunswick (GA), St. Mary's (GA), Jacksonville (FL) and Black Creek (FL). The captains of many ships could bring their families along for free.

Artillery Officer's Room

Military officers stationed in St. Augustine during the Seminole Wars often looked for more comfortable quarters than those provided by the Army at the barracks in Fort Marion (now the Castillo de San Marcos) north of town.

Also, their presence provided security to residents in their homes. Notice the chamber pot under the bed, and the folding camp table with the officer's uniformed jacket hanging on the chair.