Louise died in 1875 and with her, the establishment’s boarding-house tradition. In 1939, the Colonial Dames bought the property, intent on preserving this extraordinary example of coquina construction. It was the height of the Great Depression, and raising funds for the expensive restoration was no easy task. The women ran into a few other problems along the way; for example, walls had been covered in Portland cement, preventing water from being absorbed by the coquina and causing extensive damage. However, their persistence paid off, and soon the authentically furnished Ximenez-Fatio House opened as a museum that continues to give visitors a glimpse into nineteenth-century life.
Photography Marcy Black Simpson
To read more, see “Celebrating Christmas in St. Augustine” on page 27 of the November/December 2016 issue of Victoria.
