Ximenez-Fatio House Guest Rooms

		"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.

		"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 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.

"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.)

		"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.