Casa de la Paz – Haunted Former Bed and Breakfast in St. Augustine, Florida

Located at 22 Avenida Menendez along the scenic bay-front curve near Castillo San Marcos, Casa de la Paz operated as a beloved bed and breakfast for over a century before closing its doors. The historic building’s most famous resident is Miss Mabel, a grief-stricken widow who locked herself in the Queen Isabella room after her husband drowned in a sudden storm and remained there until her own death shortly thereafter.

Historical Background

Year Built: Early 1900s

Original Purpose: Casa de la Paz served as a bustling bed and breakfast for over a century, offering elegant and homey accommodations just steps from restaurants, art galleries, museums, and historic sites. The inn’s name, meaning “House of Peace,” proved tragically ironic given the sorrowful fate of one of its most memorable guests.

Significant Events: The inn’s most tragic event occurred when a newlywed couple stayed in the Queen Isabella room in the 1920s. Despite his bride’s eerie premonitions and desperate pleas for him not to go, the young husband decided to go fishing. A violent Atlantic storm suddenly struck St. Augustine, capsizing his skiff in the gulf. Search parties scoured the sea but only recovered the overturned boat—the man’s body was never found. His heartbroken widow, whom the owners nicknamed “Miss Mabel,” barricaded herself in the upstairs bedroom, where her frantic cries and mournful bellows echoed through the house for months until her death.

Paranormal Activity Summary

Miss Mabel’s ghost is frequently seen carrying a suitcase, wandering the building as if eternally preparing to leave. She approaches bewildered guests asking, “When are we leaving?”—apparently still waiting to depart with her husband who never returned from the sea.

Objects move on their own throughout the building, particularly the crystal wine decanter top which Miss Mabel manipulates regularly. Guests report feeling an overwhelming sense of grief and sadness in the Queen Isabella room, with some experiencing headaches and the physical sensation of someone else’s presence in the space.

Ghost Stories & Reports

Miss Mabel is the primary spirit haunting Casa de la Paz, eternally grieving in the Queen Isabella room where she spent her final days. Witnesses describe seeing her translucent figure dressed in period clothing from the 1920s, often clutching a suitcase as though ready for a journey she’ll never take.

Ghost hunters have determined that Miss Mabel isn’t alone—the spirit of a young boy has been detected throughout the building, along with the apparition of a man sporting a distinctive handlebar mustache. The identity of these additional spirits remains unknown, though they’re believed to be former guests or residents who also refuse to leave.

Multiple guests have reported waking in the night to find Miss Mabel standing at the foot of their bed or sitting in a chair watching them sleep. Her presence is accompanied by an overwhelming wave of sadness and longing that some visitors find difficult to endure.

Most Haunted Spot Inside

The Queen Isabella room on the upper floor is unquestionably the most actively haunted location in the building. This is where Miss Mabel barricaded herself for months, where her anguished cries filled the house, and where she ultimately died. The room maintains an oppressive atmosphere of grief that visitors can physically feel upon entering.

Can You Visit?

Open to the Public? No (building is no longer operating as a bed and breakfast)

Entry Fee: N/A

Tour Availability: While Casa de la Paz is no longer open for overnight stays, it remains a popular stop on St. Augustine ghost tours that pass by the building. The structure can be viewed from the street along Avenida Menendez.

Photography Allowed? Yes (from public areas)

Visiting Hours: N/A (closed to the public; viewable from exterior only)

Best Time to Visit

The building is best viewed during evening ghost tours that stop along Avenida Menendez. The bay-front location becomes particularly atmospheric at dusk and into the evening hours when Miss Mabel’s spirit is said to be most active.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

A detailed account describes a couple’s weekend stay in the Queen Isabella room where both experienced Miss Mabel’s presence. One guest felt protected by an invisible presence throughout the night, while their companion was simultaneously comforted by what they believed was the other person. When they compared experiences at breakfast, they realized they had each been alone in bed but felt someone else protecting them—it was Miss Mabel.

After learning the full story from the owners and reading through the room journal where guests logged their supernatural experiences, one visitor spoke aloud to Miss Mabel’s spirit. They acknowledged feeling her deep grief and questioned why she chose to remain trapped in her tragic past. The house cat, known for selecting which guests to visit, immediately appeared and cuddled with the guest for four hours—behavior the owners confirmed was unusual and suggested spiritual approval.

Multiple guests have documented Miss Mabel moving the crystal wine decanter top and rearranging personal items throughout the room. One witness described waking to find their belongings carefully arranged in ways they hadn’t left them, as though someone was tidying up.

Local Legends & Myths

The legend of Miss Mabel has become one of St. Augustine’s most poignant ghost stories—a tale of love, loss, and a spirit’s refusal to accept that her husband is truly gone. Some believe she continues asking “When are we leaving?” because she’s still waiting for him to return from his fishing trip, eternally hopeful that they’ll finally be able to check out together.

Local ghost tour guides suggest that Miss Mabel’s intense grief created a psychic imprint so powerful that it literally bound her spirit to the building. The months she spent barricaded in the room, oscillating between hope and despair, may have created an energy vortex that prevents her from moving on.

The presence of the mysterious young boy and the man with the handlebar mustache suggests Casa de la Paz may have witnessed other tragedies. Some speculate these spirits are also connected to the building’s history along the waterfront, possibly victims of other maritime accidents or illnesses.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

Ghost hunters who investigated the property when it was still operational confirmed the presence of at least three distinct spirits. EVP recordings captured what sounds like a woman’s voice asking questions and sighing mournfully, consistent with Miss Mabel’s documented behavior.

The Queen Isabella room produced consistent electromagnetic anomalies and temperature fluctuations that investigators couldn’t attribute to natural causes. Guests who kept the room journal documented patterns of activity—Miss Mabel seems most active during stormy weather, particularly when Atlantic storms approach, apparently triggered by weather conditions similar to the day her husband drowned.