HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Florida's oldest surviving hotel, built 1857–1859 for railroad executives and later managed for 35 years by Annie Leddy, whose lavender perfume is still reported by staff
22 S 3rd St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Inn rates vary by room and season; see website for current pricing
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic downtown building, paved surroundings
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1857 · Florida's Oldest Surviving Hotel · Florida Railroad Company History · Civil War Union Occupation · Amelia Island Historic District
The building at 22 S 3rd Street dates to 1857–1859 and was constructed to house executives of the Florida Railroad Company, the first cross-state rail line, chartered by U.S. Senator David Levy Yulee. Although local tradition attributes construction to the railroad company itself, records from the period suggest private landowners Peter Gill Peterson or William H. Johnson may have built the structure, with railroad use following.
When Confederate forces evacuated Amelia Island in March 1862, the property became quarters for Union officers. The legal status of the building grew complicated through competing deeds filed by the U.S. Government, the Tropical Manufacturing Company, and private parties between 1864 and 1869.
In January 1873, Annie Leddy — wife of Major Thomas Leddy, a Union Army officer who had served as Provost Marshall of Northern Florida — purchased the property and transformed it into a combination boarding house and hotel. Under her nearly forty-year management, the Florida House Inn developed a regional reputation. Documented guests included former President Ulysses S. Grant, Cuban independence leader José Martí, actress Mary Pickford, and the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. The Carnegie family were frequent visitors. Annie died in 1908; her daughter Grace managed the inn through the 1930s.
The building deteriorated significantly over subsequent decades before Bob and Karen Warner purchased and renovated it in 1990. Today it operates as a 17-room inn with on-site restaurant and bar.
Sources
Annie Leddy ran the Florida House Inn from 1873 until her death in 1908, and by most accounts the building has not entirely been without her since. Staff report catching the scent of her distinctive lavender perfume in spaces she was known to have occupied. More specifically documented: antique shoes from her era, kept in a display case near the front desk, have repeatedly been found removed and relocated to guest rooms, with no staff claiming responsibility.
The inn is also associated with two other presences. One is described by guests and staff as a sad-looking male figure, believed by some to be connected to the property's Civil War–era occupation. A second female entity is said to share a specific room with guests, getting into bed alongside them — an account that has reportedly driven more than one guest to request an early checkout.
Paranormal investigators have visited the property on several occasions. No formal institutional study has published findings, but the accounts are consistent enough that local ghost tour operators include the inn on their Fernandina Beach routes.
Notable Entities
Seventeen guest rooms in a building that has housed travelers since 1857. Complimentary continental-style breakfast included. Dining available at Leddy's Porch and The Mermaid Bar on-site. The inn has hosted Ulysses S. Grant, Mary Pickford, and José Martí, among others.
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