Woman’s Exchange of St. Augustine Welcomes the St. Augustine History Festival, May 8-11
Visitors to St. Augustine’s Third Annual History Festival, May 8-11, will step into significant history and cultural heritage when they cross The Peña-Peck House threshold at 143 St. George Street in downtown St. Augustine. The Woman’s Exchange of St. Augustine has blended history with helping others succeed as artisan crafters since 1892.
The History Festival is sponsored by University of Florida Historic St. Augustine, Inc., and the Lastinger Learning Foundation, Inc. Presentations at The Peña-Peck House will be offered May 9th and 10th in the garden under the tent.
Presentations:
May 9, 11:00 a.m. Dr. Darien Andreu, Associate Professor of English, Flagler College, will present “Famous Minorcans – from the Queen of Yap to the Queen of Corn.”
May 9, 1:00 p.m. Paul L. Weaver, III, Historic
Preservation Consultant for more than 40 years in St. Augustine, will speak on “The Significance of the historic Peña-Peck House, circa 1750, as a royal residence of Spanish colonial officials in St. Augustine, and a model for other Spanish colonies in North America.”
May 10, 1:00 p.m. Marsha Chance, Curatorial Chair of the Woman’s Exchange of St. Augustine, and an Archeologist, will present “Historic Gardens of Spain and the Pena-Peck House: Traveling Plants”
May 10, 3:00 p.m. Dr. Susan Richbourg Parker,
Historian whose specialty is Spanish Colonial History, will talk about “From Mother to Daughter to Granddaughter and Beyond: Female Property Owners in colonial St. Augustine.”
All talks are free of charge. Each speaker will follow their presentation with a Question – and – Answer session between the audience and the speaker.
Visitors are also invited to tour The Peña-Peck House, May 8-11, noon to 4 p.m. On these docent-led tours, visitors will hear stories of two centuries of occupants and view the art and furnishings of the Peck-Burt families, 1737-1931. The last occupant, Anna Gardner Burt, granddaughter of Dr. Seth and Sarah Peck, and daughter of George and Lucy Peck Burt, left the home to the City of St. Augustine upon her death in 1931, to be shown as an “antebellum home of the South.”
The Woman’s Exchange agreed in 1932 to show the home to visitors in exchange for the city allowing the organization to open its artisan-consignor-based gift shop in the home. Tour donations are gratefully accepted with proceeds supporting our scholarship fund for women over age 30 advancing their career skills.
The mission of the Woman’s Exchange is to help women enhance their economic stability, promote local artisans and preserve and show the historic Peña-Peck House.
Our vision is to be an inspiration to our community and for The Peña-Peck House to be a landmark destination for visitors. We are highly respected in our community for our scholarships, artisan support, historic preservation and educational programs that showcase the impact the Peña-Peck House residents had locally, in the region and the nation.
