Casa de la Paz - Haunted Bed and Breakfast

Casa de la Paz is in St. Augustine, Florida.

Seven guest rooms are available at this St. Augustine bed and breakfast.

J. Duncan Puller was the original owner of Casa de la Paz when it was completed in 1915 as a private residence. When the inn was renovated in the 1980s, an open house was held upon its completion. During this celebration, the new owner was standing on the stairs, going on at length about the house, how beautiful it had become again, all the hard work put into its restoration, etc.

A guest at the open house noticed a young woman wearing a long, narrow skirt, a traveling jacket and a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a small suitcase on the stairs behind the host. She appeared to be trying to get around him and down the stairs, but he was paying no attention to her. The guest, feeling that this was very rude, approached the owner after his speech and told him how she felt. In reply he said, "Oh, you saw her too!"

He proceeded to tell the story of the young lady. She had come to the home many years ago on her honeymoon as a guest of the Pullers. On their last day in St. Augustine, an especially pretty day, the young husband decided to take a boat out for a day of fishing. He told his bride to pack and wait for him at the house because he did not know exactly when he would return.

During the day a terrible storm came up, the boat capsized, and he never returned to her. She was so distraught that she stayed in St. Augustine and grieved herself to death. Her spirit has never left the house, waiting for his return.

During the time the inn was used as apartments, some tenants reported hearing a knock on the door and a voice saying, "Is it time to leave yet?" Others heard a door shut and saw a figure walking down the hall. Many people have come and gone through the house, yet her soul remains in limbo, waiting for her husband to return. She's often seen at the top of the stairs with her bag packed, ready to depart.

You know she's around when you feel that odd feeling that someone is behind you or feel a cold air pocket when you walk up or down the stairs.