The Ximenez-Fatio House and the National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Florida (NSCDA-FL) will participate in the 8th Annual Seminole War Commemoration event at 20 Aviles Street in downtown St. Augustine. Activities at the historic property will feature free admission for St. Johns County residents and event re-enactors and participants. The Ximenez-Fatio House will feature its exhibits and displays with one of the rooms that serves as an interpretation of the Seminole War period, specific to a war officer who may have been a guest at the fine boarding house establishment during that time.

Ximenez-Fatio House and Museum participation is part of its mission to support public outreach which promotes the nation’s national heritage through preservation, patriotic service, and educational projects. For more information, call 904-829-3575 or email Brad Taylor Hicks at btaylorhicks@gmail.com.

Ximenez-Fatio House activities will be held in conjunction with hosting organizations including The West Point Society of North Florida, The Seminole Wars Foundation, Inc., The Dade Battle Field Society, The 450th Military Commemoration Committee, The Ancient City Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, and The Veterans Council of St. Johns County.

Continuing on Friday evening and all day on Saturday, August 15, the annual commemoration, parade, and ceremonies will honor the end of the 2nd Seminole War and many West Point graduates who perished during the historic battles in Florida. A variety of re-enactment and educational events and the burial of Major F. L. Dade and officers and soldiers who died in Florida will be held at the Florida National Guard, St. Francis Barracks, 82 Marine St. in St. Augustine. Also, ceremonies will be held at the renowned Saint Augustine National Cemetery military interment site on Marine Street.  Visit the website at http://wpsnf.net/8th-Annual-Seminole-War-Commemoration.php.

The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 4:00 pm and tours of the buildings and rooms are available from 11 am until 3:00 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. Tours are free for St. Johns County residents. Admission pricing for adults is $7; families $15, and for students, seniors and military $5. Group tours are welcome at $4.50 per 10 or more. The property is available for group functions including weddings and events.                                                                        

The Ximenez-Fatio House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic American Buildings Survey. It is a Florida Heritage Landmark and is also recognized as an integral part of the St. Augustine Town Plan National Historic Landmark District. Ximenez-Fatio House has been rated as the #1 attraction in St. Augustine by TripAdvisor and received TripAdvisor’s 2013 and 2014 Certificate of Excellence designation.

Ongoing public awareness events are held at the Ximenez-Fatio House as part of the non-profit organization’s mission to further America’s national heritage through historic preservation, patriotic service, and educational projects. Visit the website at www.ximenezfatiohouse.org,

Twitter at https://twitter.com/XFHouse and the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/XFHouse?v=wall&viewas=0. View the video at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDp_Nr7IAzU.

About The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA):

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA), founded in 1891, is an unincorporated association of 44 Corporate Societies with more than 15,000 members. The NSCDA has been a leader in the field of historic preservation, restoration, and the interpretation of historic sites. Today, 41 diverse properties are owned outright by the Corporate Societies of NSCDA. 13 additional museum collections are owned by the Dames and 30 more properties receive substantial volunteer and financial support from Dames.

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Florida was incorporated in 1899. In 1939, they bought the Ximenez-Fatio House from the Fatio heirs to use as their state house museum. Considered as one of St. Augustine’s best-preserved Spanish colonial dwellings, the museum depicts the boarding house lifestyle of Florida’s Territorial/Early Statehood Period. It is one of the first museums in America to interpret 19th century women’s history.