St. Augustine has the reputation of being the most haunted city in the United States. I suppose being the oldest U.S. town established by European explorers, it has had quite a few years to accumulate its ghosts. Here is a taste of the local hauntings:

No Vacancy The young girlfriend of a prominent businessman is said to have died at the Ponce de Leon Hotel (now Flagler College). It is reported that she roams on the 4th floor still, and peers out of the windows over the tiled rooftop.

Catalina - Not Enough Time

In 1763, the British gained control of St. Augustine, forcing ten-year-old Catalina's Spanish family to leave their home along Matanzas Bay and move to Cuba. Twenty years later Spain regained control. A grown-up Catalina returned with her husband and petitioned the government for possession of the family's home. She was successful, but died just six years later, giving her little time to enjoy the old home place.In 1887, the house burned when a devastating fire swept through St. Augustine's bay area. It was rebuilt soon afterwards to resemble the original structure. In recent years, Catalina's home has housed a series of restaurants. Former owners and employees have become accustomed to seeing the fleeting glimpse of a young woman dressed in white, passing by them on the second floor or appearing as a reflection in a mirror. She comes and goes, and no one is sure exactly who she is, but many believe it's Catalina, who has decided she won't be driven from her home again.

The Hostess of the Casablanca Inn

During America's prohibition period, rumrunners from the Caribbean cruised the shores of Florida looking for places to sell their bootleg liquor. What's now the Casablanca Inn was at that time a bayfront boarding house operated by a local widow. It didn't take the widow long to discover she could make extra money by working with the bootleggers to provide liquor to her guests and St. Augustine locals. Her business became even more profitable when federal agents began staying at the boarding house. If revenuers were in town when a delivery was planned, the woman waited until dark and climbed to the widow's walk on her roof, where she swung a lantern back and forth, signaling the bootleggers to cruise on by. Today, shrimpers and other fisherman passing through the inlet often see a light swinging back and forth from the top of the Inn. Guests staying at the Casa de La Paz next door have been awakened by a light shining in their window. The former owner may still be trying to signal her suppliers that it isn't safe to set shore. You can find out about St. Augustine's famous ghost tours at (A Ghostly Experience). ----- Thanks for stopping by and for your flashing comments on Friday's photo, Avenue with a View.

----- Olympus C8080WZ & PhotoshopCS. BTW, I know the moon would not illuminate the rooftops of the old Ponce DeLeon Hotel like that. Call it artistic license. =o] (460)