Island Life Victorian. Hoyt House c. 1905

Hi, I'm Lindy Chapman. Welcome to the Hoyt House. We are located in downtown Fernandina on Amelia Island in Florida, just north of the Jacksonville Airport. My husband and I purchased this home just last year, February of 2025. This home was built in 1905 by an architect named John Mann, who built it for a gentleman who came from the northeast to start a bank on Amelia. It was built to replicate the Rockefeller home up on Jekyll Island. John Mann also built Dungeness for the Carnegies over on Cumberland Island, and he built some other significant buildings here on the island as well. It was a family home for a number of years. The Hoyt family, Fred Hoyt and his wife and their three kids, lived here when he was president of the bank. And then when the second president, Mr. Mizell, came in, he purchased it in 1927, and their family owned it for about 60 years. And then it went through various owners until it was turned into a bed and breakfast, like I said, back in the 1990s. It has a lot of interesting characteristics having been built back in that time and also having been built by somebody who was coming from the northeast. You see elements of New England in here, as well as elements of what would have been a Victorian home in the south back in the days. So it's a beautiful property, and we are just so excited to be the next caretakers of it. And this is the gentlemen's parlor. Of course, now all of our guests can hang out in here and enjoy games, puzzles, books. We also, again, during our happy hour, they will come in here to enjoy a glass of wine and get to discuss things with other guests about what they've done during the day, their favorite restaurants. It has a beautiful wall of windows with Episcopal Church across the way, which is a historic building, and just beautiful to look at from this room. It's a mixture of furniture. Most was here when we arrived, but we've also added some of our own artwork and paintings as well. You also have the original fireplace mantle with the original tile that is this lovely green that was a popular color back in the day. And wait till I show you the Newell Bannister Post. And this is the Newell Bannister Post. It's a really fun addition to these homes. There are a number of them in the Victorian and Edwardian homes. The story is that is where people used to put their deed, and they could actually turn the light on once the house is paid for. The fun thing about this lady and her lamp is it comes on when she wants to. I would love for it to come on now while we're talking, but it's really funny. A lot of times when I am talking about her, the light will switch on. But it is original to the house and really one of my favorite little features of it. This is the women's parlor. So this has been where the women would have gathered back in the day. Now we use it for just our guests to sit and enjoy their glass of wine in the afternoon or coffee in the morning. And when we have weddings here, the brides will often use this. It has pocket doors that are operating, and so we'll close the pocket doors. And it has great light coming through here, so they'll have the makeup artists and hair people come in, and they'll get the bridesmaids ready in this room and take pictures prior to going out to our backyard for the wedding ceremony or whatever particular party that they're doing that day. So it's a great room that we utilize often with our guests. This is one of the six mantles, original mantles, in the house with the original tile work, which you can see is a little bit different in each room. There were six working fireplaces that would have probably used coal back in the day. There's actually even a little place down in the basement where they used to deliver the coal, and that would fuel their fire to keep the home warm. And welcome to the Hoyt House dining room. This is where our guests gather for breakfast every morning. We do a couple of seatings usually at 8 30 and 9 30, and the guests have their choice of which one they attend. We offer two courses. We typically start with a starter. It can be anything from a baked good to, this morning we had baked pears with a high-protein yogurt with some toasted pecans. We have a chef that comes in. He'll actually be here tomorrow. He's a trained chef. He works at a local restaurant here, and he comes in a few mornings a week. Tomorrow morning, he's going to be starting with a tomato bisque that will be followed by something savory and delicious, and it always looks beautiful on the plate. So we do something a little different every day. We try to serve things that you might not typically make at home, but we also will tailor the menu to meet people's individual dietary needs and restrictions, as well as preferences, like if they just want biscuits, eggs, and bacon for the breakfast in the morning. People love to know about our bar in the White House, or our pub as we call it. It's not original to the home. One of the prior owners brought this in, I believe back in 2010. That's also when they got the liquor license here. We do have a full liquor license, and it's such a fun room. Our guests love to come in here, and they like to gather and sit at the bar chairs and talk to people about their day and what they've loved about being on Amelia Island and where they've gone, what they suggest doing in terms of tours or things they've enjoyed seeing on the island. Again, another one of our six mantles. The sign up here was actually out in the front of the house. I don't have any idea how long it was there, but it was falling apart. So we had a woodworker on the island reproduce one, and so we have another reproduction of it now hanging outside on the signpost, and we are going to be eventually hanging this one in the bar. One of the things that makes the White House so special is that it isn't standing alone as a relic from another era. It's part of a community that has done an extraordinary job preserving its past while remaining vibrant and alive. Fernandina Beach is one of those rare places where history isn't confined to museums. It's woven into the streets, the architecture, the waterfront, and the stories that seem to linger around every corner. Founded in 1811, Fernandina is the last city in the western hemisphere to be laid out under Spanish rule, and few places in Florida have experienced such a remarkable succession of flags, cultures, and influences. Today, visitors can spend days exploring the beautifully preserved historic district, wandering beneath centuries-old oak trees, touring Victorian mansions, browsing locally owned shops, or simply enjoying the views along the Amelia River. History lovers can visit Fort Clinch, one of the best-preserved 19th-century forts in America, while nature enthusiasts can explore miles of beaches, maritime forests, and scenic trails. What makes Fernandina Beach so memorable, though, is the balance it strikes. It offers the charm and architectural richness of a much larger historic city, while somehow retaining the warmth and friendliness of a small coastal town. Whether you're here for the history, the architecture, the food, the beaches, or simply the chance to slow down for a few days, Fernandina Beach has a way of making visitors feel less like tourists and more like temporary locals. It's easy to understand why so many people come for a Fernandina Beach isn't just a destination. It's a place that gets under your skin in the very best way. This is the back entrance hallway. This addition was added back in the 1990s, and it has five bedrooms that all have their own baths. And it's a great addition to the house because there's nobody over you, so if you're staying in the downstairs rooms, you do not have to listen to people walking above you. And let me go show you one of our guest rooms here. This is room five. This is the honeymoon suite. This is where our guests love to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays. And of course, when our brides are here, this is usually the room they choose. As you can see, it's well appointed with the four-poster bed. It has a sofa in here, so there's plenty of seating, lots of light. It overlooks the pool in the backyard area. It's a nice quiet room with a lot of room. A lot of people that come and stay for five or six or more days, this is the room that they choose because it's so spacious and livable. They also have great bathrooms. They've been updated. They're beautiful. They're modern, yet they still have remnants of an old home, including the antique furniture that have been retrofitted to be sinks. And welcome to the Hoyt House backyard. This was a part of the property when we purchased it that had been overgrown. The trees had died. A lot of the fruit trees had died, and there was a lot of space that was no longer usable. So we did a huge outdoor renovation about six months ago, and it's been really fun. The first event we hosted was actually my 60th surprise birthday party, followed by a gala for the museum here. It was a fundraiser for the local museum, and we had 175 people back here, including a tent, as well as tables out here and music. We had a 22-piece jazz band. We had a bar, and it was just such a fun community event. It was a great way for us to introduce people to the new renovated backyard space of the Hoyt House, and also to show people what's possible to do in this yard if you do want to host a wedding or a corporate gathering or any other kind of event here at the Hoyt House. I hope you've enjoyed your tour of this historic property. We are so grateful to be stewards of this historic home in beautiful downtown Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. We would love to invite you to come be our guest, whether you just want to rent a room and stay for a couple of days, or if you want to rent the whole house out for a family reunion, wedding, corporate event. It is a great place to call home while you're here on the island. You can go to our website, www.hoythouse.com, or you can call us directly to find out about any specials that we're running. We often will be able to look at our calendar and find a way to save you a little bit of money if you direct, if you book with us directly. So come and meet us. We would love to show you why we love calling Amelia Island home.