The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum seems frozen in time. Spaniard Andres Ximenez built the coquina house in 1798 with two levels, tabby floors and a separate coquina kitchen. The building was operated as a general store, tavern, billiard room and boarding house, mostly by women, and is considered as one of St. Augustine’s best-preserved Spanish colonial dwellings.
During the summer, museum tour guide and Flagler College student Courtney Crum proposed hosting nighttime tours to coincide with Halloween. The history major knew a few owners and guests had died on the property.
“Sometimes when there’s a wedding, we’re here after dark,” Crum said, meaning the property could feel a little mysterious.
Archivist Taryn Rodriguez-Boette went to work uncovering the history of people who drew their last breath on museum property. It turns out there were more than a few.
“History is so much better than fiction,” Rodriguez-Boette said. Ghost tours are common in the nation’s oldest city, but how many are based on historical research?
It was common practice in the 1800s to send patients with tuberculosis and other ailments from northern states to Florida, believing the warmer climate promoted health. The Ximenez-Fatio house has a “frail lady room” where at least one death occurred.
Rodriguez-Boette has been able to document 13 deaths on the property.
“I’ve been organizing museum archives for the last few years,” Rodriguez-Boette said. “It’s a collection from 1939.”
She used museum documents, burial records from the Tolomato and Huguenot cemeteries and research at the St. Augustine Historical Research Library to follow leads and “connect the dots.”
“When I’m looking for dead people, [library staff] are very helpful,” Rodriguez-Boette said.
Crum said that all of the Ximenez-Fatio House tour guides worked together to write the story from Rodriguez-Boette’s research. It’s the first time the museum will offer tours after dark. There will be candles and lanterns outside, but artificial lighting will be used inside the buildings for safety.
Be sure to listen for the ghostly tale about a mirror, original to the house, in the owner’s quarters.
“Billy” the skeleton will greet guests and Flagler College students will portray characters during the special tours. A fragile mourning dress from the 1870s, usually concealed in storage, will be on special exhibit for two weeks.
The evening tours will be held at 20 Aviles Street at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29; Wednesday, Oct. 30; Friday, Nov. 1; and Saturday, Nov. 2. Cost is $10 per person for the 30- to 45-minute customized tours. Space is limited. For advance ticket information and group rates, call (904) 342-8887.
For more information, email info@ximenezfatiohouse.org, visit ximenezfatiohouse.org or go to instagram.com/theximenezfatiohouse .
