Not much is known about the house until 1887 when it was destroyed by a big fire that swept though a portion St. Augustine. Based on 1840 drawings of the house, it was rebuilt in 1888. The house was built on its original foundation according to the way it looked when Catalina had lived there, however, instead of using tabby, a plaster and bonding agent made from oyster shells, the new house used concrete for the walls.

Not all people see the ghost, some only catch a whiff of her perfume, and there is indeed a slight drifting aroma in this place that reminded me of cheap perfume. You cannot smell it all the time because food odors get in the way, but if you concentrate and flare your nostrils you might be able to detect it.

There is an ongoing debate about whether the woman in the bridal attire is Catalina or someone named Bridget who lived in the house in later years. The bridal spirit is not the only ghost in this place, there is also a man in a black suit and hat frequently seen. This man has been witnesses throughout the building and on all three floors. There is a rumor, with a little supporting evidence, that two men died in this building. One perished in the 1887 fire and the other succumbed to an illness around 1900.

The ghosts of this building do not seem to cause any harm and are believed to be friendly. Many customers come in just to see if they can encounter one of the spirits, or perhaps just to get a whiff of that strange perfume. I can honestly say that while having dinner in this place the lights flickered several times, went out and came back on, of course this was in the middle of a thunderstorm.

From an interview with a customer: “I have never seen any ghosts in here, but there is a feeling that somebody is like watching you, I mean sometimes it’s like somebody is sitting in an empty chair at the table with you but you can’t see it. I do believe in ghost but have never seen one.”  –Sue H.

From an interview with a customer: “Oh yeah, sure I’ve seen the woman two different times. I come in here all the time and have been for years. I saw her in the mirror when this used to be called the Chart House. It was just a real quick look, maybe only a second but long enough to tell it was a female with a white veil on her head. Then about a year, maybe two years ago, I got a glimpse of a woman dressed in white rushing across that side of the room. I got a good look that time and she looked almost transparent. My friend used to work here and she said that she saw both a man dressed in black and a woman dressed in white several times.”   –Cissy H.

From an interview with customer: “Nope, never seen anything that I know of but I’ve heard about the woman they see in here. I wished I could see a ghost. I never get that lucky, maybe I’m not psychic enough…but the food is great and we love the place. I’m always keeping my eyes open.”  –Megan

From an interview with a customer: “I haven’t seen the ghost but my husband saw the man in black that they talk about. He said the guy was just standing in the corner, he was wearing those old fashioned clothes…what do you call those long coats with tails? A frock coat or whatever…anyway this man just disappeared while he was looking at him. He said he thought at first it was one of the actors that work at the fort who had come in to eat but when he disappeared that convince Bill that it was a real ghost that he saw.”  –Lynne M.

Weird Florida