A Second Empire former resort hotel built ~1869 near Leila Street and barged in 1911 to Riverside's River Boulevard; once hosted a grieving Mary Todd Lincoln in 1874-1875 — exterior viewing only.
2105 River Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32204
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Private property; exterior viewing only from public sidewalk.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Riverside residential street with sidewalks; exterior viewing only.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1869 · Second Empire former resort hotel (Rochester House) · Hosted Mary Todd Lincoln, 1874-1875 · Barged upriver to current location in 1911 · Significant Riverside-neighborhood landmark
Rochester House was built around 1869 near the intersection of Leila Street and Riverside Avenue in Jacksonville. A three-story Second Empire-style resort hotel, it catered to nineteenth-century health and leisure travelers drawn to the St. Johns River during Jacksonville's post-Civil War tourism boom.
The building hosted Mary Todd Lincoln for an extended stay between late 1874 and March 1875. According to JaxPsychoGeo's history of the building, the widowed First Lady arrived overcome by grief and depression following the deaths of her husband and three of her sons. While at the hotel she became convinced — incorrectly — that her surviving son Robert was deathly ill, and hurried to Chicago in March 1875. Shortly after her arrival in Chicago, Robert Lincoln initiated insanity proceedings that resulted in his mother's commitment to Bellevue Place Sanitarium in Batavia, Illinois.
In 1911, the building was placed on a barge and floated up the St. Johns River to its present location at 2105 River Boulevard in the Riverside neighborhood. It has since served as a residence, event venue, and office property. In 2022, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported that Jacksonville developer Corner Lot had purchased the historic River House, and as of recent listings the property has been offered as a multi-unit residence.
Sources
According to The Jaxson's haunted-places feature, staff and residents associated with the River House have described a young blonde apparition in a long black dress, sometimes tied in retellings to the wife of a Confederate blockade-runner who is said to have stayed at the hotel in its early years. Phantom footsteps on the third floor are also reported, and the building has appeared on Jacksonville and Florida haunted-place lists for decades.
The Mary Todd Lincoln connection adds a documented historical weight to the building's reputation. As described by JaxPsychoGeo, she stayed at Rochester House during a profound period of grief and depression, and her departure in March 1875 immediately preceded the legal proceedings that committed her to Bellevue Place Sanitarium. The building has been linked in lore to the lingering atmosphere of her stay, though no specific paranormal claim is tied to her presence.
Reports remain anecdotal, the building is private property, and the lore should be treated as Jacksonville folkloric tradition rather than as documented event. The 1911 barge move from the building's original Leila Street location to River Boulevard is repeatedly cited in lore as having brought its 'ghosts' along with the structure.
This venue is privately owned and not open to the public — appreciate from the public sidewalk only.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Drive or walk past this Second Empire former resort hotel from the public sidewalk on River Boulevard. The building is private property; do not approach. The St. Johns River views are best appreciated from a respectful distance.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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