Constructed shortly after the turn-of-the-century near the Castillo del San Marcos, the Mary Peck House has undergone nearly as many changes as the post-Flagler period St. Augustine in which it was built. In the past century, the street in front of the house in its original location changed from a sleepy little dirt road into a heavily traveled four-lane street through the historic district. The name of the street has been altered too, from Fort Marion Circle to Castillo Drive. The house has seen its porches removed, walls added, and paint colors changed many times in the last century. An interesting feature of the house is a back porch built of "boxcar" beaded board siding.
The woman for whom the house is named was Mary LaVerne Peck, a lifelong resident of St. Augustine who worked as a tour guide in the historic district. In the early morning of November 18, 2004, the Mary Peck House was moved to this location to make room for the City of St. Augustine's expansion of their Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum. Historic Tours of America, is restoring the former residence as a house museum for Old Town St. Augustine visitors. Quartered on the first floor will be offices for the Old Jail Sheriff and a morgue for prisoners who have met their fate at the gallows.
We look forward to opening this historic house for your next visit to Old Town St. Augustine.
Historic Tours of America has been saving historic Florida buildings from the wrecking balls since 1973. This restoration is part of our ongoing commitment to Florida's Heritage.
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