Peña-Peck House

The Historic Peña-Peck House

How many houses in St. Augustine were built by order of a Spanish king

and later occupied by two British governors?

If your answer is just one, then you are correct. The Historic Peña-Peck House, built circa 1750 by order of King Ferdinand VI for Royal Spanish Treasurer Juan Estevan de Peña, and occupied by the Peck family descendants until 1931, is among the oldest colonial buildings in St. Augustine. The native coquina stone house later was the home of British Acting Governor John Moultrie followed by British Governor Patrick Tonyn. It is one of only 35 remaining First Spanish Period buildings (1565–1763) in St. Augustine.

During the St. Augustine History Festival, May 12-15, the Peña-Peck House and the Woman’s Exchange of St. Augustine (The WEx at the Peña-Peck House) invites you to immerse yourself in the city’s cultural, benevolent and political scene over, 1750 to 1931, through those who lived here. We open our doors at 10:00 a.m. and close them at 4:00 p.m.

Highlighting your Peña-Peck House tour will be a special exhibit, “Secrets of the Collections of the Peña-Peck House.” These items are displayed on special occasions only.

May 12-13: Join us under the tent in the Anna Gardner Burt Memorial Garden for three special talks and refreshments:

May 12, noon: Curatorial Chair Marsha Chance will speak on the “Secrets from the Collection”. She has been a professional archaeologist, museum educator, and preservation consultant for 50 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in clothing and textiles, and a master’s degree in anthropology. Among her volunteer activities in her career, she
served on the Florida Historical Commission, is past president of the St. Augustine Archaeological Association, a former trustee of the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, and active in the Friends of Fish Island group. She joined the Woman’s Exchange in 2009 and has curated the collections for 11 years.

May 13, noon: Docent Marlene Cordero Piriz will present “The First Spanish Residents of St. Augustine”.  Marlene is a first-generation American whose parents and grandparents moved to South Florida from Cuba before the Castro Revolution. She joined the Woman’s Exchange in 2015, and offers tours in Spanish and English for visitors.

May 13, 2 p.m. Hear historian Roger Smith, Ph.D., speak on “The Last Union Jack: St. Augustine and the American Revolution.” Dr. Smith is Director of the St. Augustine History Festival. His doctorate is in Early American history and Atlantic World Studies from the University of Florida. He recently received an award from the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution for his work on Revolutionary War studies for middle and high school classrooms. A professor of history at Flagler College, Dr. Smith also works for the Saint Augustine Historical Society, and is on the board of the Florida Council for History Education. He served as a consultant for the AMC television show, “Turn” and appeared in the PBS documentary, “The Secrets of Spanish Florida”.

The Woman’s Exchange of St. Augustine has operated The Peña-Peck House on behalf of the city since 1932.
For more information, see Penapeckhouse.com; Facebook: Woman’s Exchange of St. Augustine. (904)829-5064, [email protected]