Family Room

Families traveling together often stayed in one room. Mosquito netting was a necessity for all the beds. If this did not work, a bottle of mild solution of ammonia might have been used for the bites of mosquitoes and other insects. The washstand was a fixture in each bedroom. It held the water pitcher, wash bowl, soap dish and toothbrush. The dirty water from the bowl was poured into a slop jar next to the stand so that clean water could be poured for the next person to wash up.

Frail Lady's Room

Many of the guests were invalids who came to Florida hoping its milder climates would help them recuperate from various ailments.

"The town...is chiefly noted as a resort of invalids from the North, the climate of Florida having acquired some renown as a restorative for consumptive patients." (George R. Fairbanks. The History and Antiquities of the City of St. Augustine, Florida. New York: Charles B. Norton, 1858.)

Owner's Parlor

This is where the owner of the boarding house lives. There is a sitting room (pictured here) and bedroom. The furniture is covered with fabric woven from horsehair and is very scratchy and coarse. The astral lamp has a round wick and casts no shadow. It was considered very modern at the time. By the bed is a Step Commode.

Owner's Office

This private room doubles as a business office and a sewing room. The owner would pay bills, settle the guests’ accounts and answer letters requesting rooms. Along side the owner’s sewing machine, is a child’s chair with an unfinished sampler, as she learns her stitches. The height of the mannequin is typical for a woman in mid 1800’s. On the mantle are bottles of common remedies for ailments. This room and the adjoining linen closet have doors with the original Spanish hardware.

Owner's Bedroom

In this bedroom is a high-post mahogany bed, c.1840 with mosquito netting of linen. The inside of the tester is covered with wallpaper. This kind of bed has a history of use in Florida in the nineteenth century.

Room Being Cleaned

On a nice day they would air the feather bed on the banister in the fresh air and sunshine. It could be stuffed with feathers, Spanish Moss, hay or even straw.

Here is the bedstead. After a while, the ropes stretch and become so loose it makes the bed uncomfortable. Since the room is being cleaned for the new guests, a servant would tighten the ropes with the bed wrench. The expression "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" started as a result of this.

Artist's Room

Florida's natural beauty attracted many visitors who were artists. The artist would have sketched in pencil or charcoal while out roaming the woods. For the finished work, watercolor was the medium generally used. The wood duck on the desk is wired together to look as it did when alive in its natural habitat. This method was first used by J.J. Audubon, who preferred to paint from freshly shot and wired up specimens instead of from dried skins or stuffed birds. Mr. Audubon traveled and sketched in east Florida from November 1831 to March 1832.

Ladies Upstairs Porch

Porches, or galleries, were an inviting place to sit in good weather and enjoy the gardens. The porch slopes downward to allow the rain to run off into the garden and not back into the rooms.

Upstairs Covered Porch

This porch faces west, allowing the guests to relax in the warmth of the sun. Especially delightful in the winter season.