Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
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Number on back at top right: 20942N.
A nearby historical marker reads, "The Warden Winter Home was built in 1887 for William G. Warden of Philadelphia. A partner with Henry Flagler and John D. Rockefeller in the Standard Oil Company. Warden was also the President of the St. Augustine Gas and Electric Light Company and Financial Director of the St. Augustine Improvement Company. One of the most imposing private residences in the city, it was a center of winter social activity. Its Moorish Revival architecture and elaborate interior reflect the exuberance of the Gilded Age and St. Augustine's role as a winter resort. It remained in the Warden family through the 1930s. In 1941 it was purchased by Norton Baskin and remodeled as the Castle Warden Hotel. Baskin and his wife, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (author of The Yearling), had an apartment on the top floor. Many writers and other distinguished visitors came here during its decade as a hotel. Locally know as Warden Castle, it has served as Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum since 1950."
Accompanying note: "View from the driveway showing Hotel entrance, and to the left, the delightful Porch Dining Room where delicious food is served in the best tradition of the Old South. From here is an unbroken view of the spacious grounds. On the Hotel's upper floors, reached by both elevator and stairway, are the charming and comfortable guest rooms and screened porches."
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Chicago Manual of Style
Castle Warden Hotel, Saint Augustine, Florida. 1941 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/259297>, accessed 18 June 2026.
MLA
Castle Warden Hotel, Saint Augustine, Florida. 1941 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/259297>
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