HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
1865 Queen Anne Victorian B&B — St. Augustine's oldest continuously operating inn, known for phantom cigar smoke
38 Marine St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Bed and breakfast rates vary by room and season; see website for current pricing
Access
Limited Access
Two-story Victorian structure; no elevator
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1865 · Oldest Continuously Operating Inn in St. Augustine · Queen Anne Victorian Architecture · Civil War Era Construction
The Kenwood Inn was constructed in 1865, four years after the start of the Civil War and the same year federal troops occupied St. Augustine as a Union-held city in Confederate Florida. Marine Street, in the city's historic district, placed the property within walking distance of the Matanzas Bay waterfront and the central core of the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental United States.
The Queen Anne Victorian structure has operated as lodging continuously since its construction, making it the oldest hotel or inn still operating in St. Augustine — a distinction the property has consistently maintained. Over the course of 160 years, the inn has had multiple owners, each contributing to its accumulated identity.
The current format of 14 individually decorated guest rooms and suites includes both standard rooms and suites with Jacuzzi tubs, decorative fireplaces, and two-bedroom configurations. The inn was one of the first properties in St. Augustine to be formally licensed as a bed and breakfast, a designation it has carried for more than a century. Free parking and a saltwater swimming pool distinguish it from the city's more tightly packed historic district accommodations.
Sources
The Kenwood Inn's haunted reputation centers on two named presences. Raymond is described in accounts collected across multiple paranormal guides and travel writers as the most active spirit in the building — reported tucking guests in, rearranging objects, and making himself known across the most active rooms. Rooms 7, 9, and 10 are identified as the most frequently affected.
The female presence associated with Room 10 — the room itself is named 'Lavender's' — is described in visitor accounts as having an unusual affinity for books. Guests have reported finding their personal books hidden under beds and pages turning without physical contact. The phenomenon is consistent enough across independent reports to appear in multiple travel guides to haunted St. Augustine.
The most widely documented phenomenon at the inn is phantom cigar smoke — detected in non-smoking guest rooms, generally attributed to a former owner. Staff and guests who have reported the smell note its specificity: not a general musty odor but recognizable tobacco smoke, concentrated rather than diffuse, appearing and dissipating without explanation.
The inn's current owners have acknowledged the paranormal reputation and integrated it into the property's identity without sensationalizing it. Ghost tours of the St. Augustine historic district include the Kenwood Inn as a stop, typically noting the cigar smoke accounts and the Raymond legend.
Notable Entities
Where this legend is told
The inn offers 14 individually decorated rooms in the Queen Anne Victorian structure, with rooms 7, 9, and 10 cited most frequently in paranormal accounts. Guests report the smell of cigar smoke in non-smoking rooms, particularly associated with a former owner's presence. The inn has acknowledged its haunted reputation and the owners embrace the property's ghost stories as part of the experience.
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