Welcome to the Farewell to Finder’s Fest geo-art, brought to you by the Forest Minions! This series celebrates weird and unusual things throughout the Sunshine State. Please do not go to the posted locations. Rather, solve the challenging quiz found at the bottom of each page, for the final location. For the letterbox caches, please leave the stamp in the cache. They are not trade items. For the discerning traveler, we’ve included the GPS coordinates for these bizarre locations, when we were able to establish them.
The Ghost of St Francis – Location 29.8879, -81.3112
The humble roadside inn, found at the aforementioned coordinates is one of the oldest places in St. Augustine, built in 1791 by Gaspar Garcia. In 1838 it was bought by Colonel Thomas Dummett and after his death in 1839 it passed to his wife. In 1845, Mrs. Dummett gave the place to her daughters, Sarah and Anna Dummett who opened it as a boarding house. In 1855, Anna sold the place to her brother-in-law, Confederate General William Hardee.
The ghost that haunts the inn is an African-American girl who has made her appearances to guests in the hallway and in Room 3A. The most unusual encounter has been the sighting of a black person’s hand on the banister of the stairway. Apparently the spirit of the inn is a playful one who likes to turn on lights in the middle of the night or change the temperature of the water while someone is showering. Guests at the inn have reported hearing strange moaning sounds that could not be explained but thought to be caused by the ghost.
Here is the super duper, way challenging, really hard trivia question, which, if solved properly, will lead you to the final coordinates:
Question: What clothing accessory was illegal for women, in 19th century France?
A: Pockets = N29° 29.889' W81° 50.623'
B: Bullet proof vests = N29° 29.879' W81° 50.623'
C: Buttons = N29° 29.869' W81° 50.623'