Ximenez-Fatio House Museum candlelight tours show how medicine was practiced in 1880s
Just in time for fall and spooky season, the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum will hold candlelight tours called Mourning and Mortality — A Century of Death. Tours will take place on select dates through Oct. 30 in historic St. Augustine, Florida.
Tours will take place at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday through Oct. 30. Tickets are $15 per person. Tickets are available in advance. RSVP at ximenezfatiohouse.org/mortality-mourning. Ximenez-Fatio House at 20 Aviles St. is a former boarding house on the oldest street in America.
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A guided spooky candlelight tour will go through the 223-year-old historic house museum where guests can learn about the ways St. Augustine townsfolk of the 1800s practiced medicine and mourning rituals from Spanish-American last rites, Victorian Spiritualism, to Afro-Caribbean practices.
Guides will explain how illnesses were treated with at-home remedies from the colonial garden and original 1798 kitchen. A combo ticket that includes “Everyday Life” daytime Museum tours and the Mourning and Mortality tour can be purchased for $20 per person. Details at www.ximenezfatiohouse.org.
Other activities in October
Oct. 8: True Crime author Elizabeth Randall will give a talk about “Murder in St. Augustine: The Mysterious Death of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley” at 4 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum, 20 Aviles St. The murder remains unsolved. Discover the details of the 1974 murder that took place in historic St. Augustine, learn about the investigation, and who may have committed the crime — through research done by the author. The author will sign copies of the book, along with additional titles, “Women in White” and “Haunted St. Augustine and St. Johns County.” Call 904-829-3575 or go to ximenezfatiohouse.org.
Oct. 8 and Oct. 30: The first ever overnight paranormal investigations of the Ximenez-Fatio House will be offered by A Night Among Ghosts, from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. Reserved for ages 18 and older, this experience will include the use of ghost hunting equipment, a guide familiar with the history of this house, and free roaming time throughout the property. The former boarding house has 13 documented deaths. Snacks, bottled water, sodas, coffee, midnight pizza, and a light continental breakfast also are included. Tickets and details at theoddmacabre.com/category-halloween.
Oct. 22: A Night Among Ghosts will host a Victorian Parlor Night combined with a Mourning and Mortality Tour. Experience the candlelight tour and then enjoy a Victorian Era Parlor Night of séance style investigation. Details at theoddmacabre.com/category-halloween.
Oct. 29: Trick-or-Treating for children will be available from 1 to 4 p.m. and includes a courtyard Harvest Festival with crafts, games and a candy-apple bowl bar. Children can wear costumes and go trick-or-treating at every door of the three-story former boarding house. Admission is free.
Ximenez-Fatio House
The Ximenez-Fatio House, 20 Aviles St. in historic St. Augustine, Florida, is on the National Register of Historic Places and a Florida Heritage Landmark. The property has been owned by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Florida since 1939. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, with special evening tours available on select dates. A gift shop is also on site, and the property and grounds can be reserved as a venue. Visit ximenezfatiohouse.org or call 904-829-3575.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Ximenez-Fatio House Museum's candlelight tours teach 1800s healthcare
