The detached kitchen building, is located on the west side and behind the house.

It is the only original free standing kitchen structure in St. Augustine dating from the late eighteenth century. The wide fireplace, the bake oven, and the ample sink and drain board provide a vivid picture of the constant work that was required to feed a large family, guests and servants.

The kitchen was detached from the house to eliminate the danger of fires, other factors being to keep away the heat of cooking in summer and the pests attracted to food.

On the table is a flycatcher. The sugar water inside attracts flies and once they climb inside they cannot fly out again and are trapped.

The beehive oven was used to bake pies, cakes and bread that were sometimes made from flour of the Coontie palm root. Logs were burned in the oven to make it very hot, then the ashes and coals were raked out and the food placed on the bricks to bake. An experienced cook could tell the temperature of the oven by the color of the bricks.

The dry sink had no running water connection. When the plug was removed, the water simply ran out into the yard.

White sugar came in a cone, brown sugar in a brick. Sugar was so hard there were special snipers to cut away chunks. The chunks were then ground to powder with a mortar and pestle.

View other guest rooms and the wash house.

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