Castle Warden / Warden Castle
Dublin Core
Creator
Title
Castle Warden / Warden Castle
Alternative Title
Castle Warden Hotel / Hotel Castle Warden
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Contributor
Norton Baskin
Robert S. Ripley & family
Date Created
1887
Date Modified
c.1900
1941
1944
1950
1989
Type
The original purpose of this building was as a home.
This building was repurposed as a hotel.
This building was converted into a museum.
Description
Castle Warden was built in 1887 as a winter home for William G. Warden, a Standard Oil Company partner of Henry Flagler and John D. Rockefeller. Warden was heavily involved in St. Augustine’s development through his companies, the St. Augustine Improvement Company and the St. Augustine Gas and Electric Company. Mr. Warden was one of the patrons of Lincolnville's Public School No. 2 in the 1890s.
The building’s unique Moorish Revival architecture is based on the Villa Zorayda on King Street, but is larger, making it the largest private concrete home at the time. After his death, Warden's daughter Elizabeth B. Warden Ketterlinus inherited the home.
In the early 20th century, a loggia was added across the front of the building. After sitting derelict for much of the 1930s, the building was purchased by Norton Baskin and his wife, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the award-winning author of The Yearling in 1941, following their marriage that year. The Castle Warden Hotel was operated by Baskin and he kept the penthouse apartment as their private quarters. In 1944, a fire in the penthouse killed a family friend, Ruth Hopkins Shackford Pickering.
During its time as a hotel, Robert S. Ripley was a guest several times and decided to buy the hotel to display his collection of curious objects and cartoon drawings. As a journalist, he had traveled broadly and collected many items featured in his cartoons that needed a permanent home. In 1950, the building was purchased and became the first Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” Museum.
The building’s unique Moorish Revival architecture is based on the Villa Zorayda on King Street, but is larger, making it the largest private concrete home at the time. After his death, Warden's daughter Elizabeth B. Warden Ketterlinus inherited the home.
In the early 20th century, a loggia was added across the front of the building. After sitting derelict for much of the 1930s, the building was purchased by Norton Baskin and his wife, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the award-winning author of The Yearling in 1941, following their marriage that year. The Castle Warden Hotel was operated by Baskin and he kept the penthouse apartment as their private quarters. In 1944, a fire in the penthouse killed a family friend, Ruth Hopkins Shackford Pickering.
During its time as a hotel, Robert S. Ripley was a guest several times and decided to buy the hotel to display his collection of curious objects and cartoon drawings. As a journalist, he had traveled broadly and collected many items featured in his cartoons that needed a permanent home. In 1950, the building was purchased and became the first Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” Museum.
Has Part
Part of the Ripley's Believe It or Not chain of museums.
Mediator
This museum is open to the public. For visitor information, please refer to Ripley's Believe It or Not! St. Augustine | Tickets, Hours, Events.
Rights Holder
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
19 San Marco Avenue
St. Augustine, FL 32084
Ripley's Believe It or Not! St. Augustine
19 San Marco Avenue
St. Augustine, FL 32084
Ripley's Believe It or Not! St. Augustine
Relation
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is on San Marco Avenue.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is just north of the Castillo de San Marcos.
Source
The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:
Photograph 1 (1940s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the 1930s and 1940s. Acadia Publishing, 2019.
Photograph 2 (1993): Adams, William R., and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.
Photograph 2 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Ripley's." July 22, 2025.
Photograph 3 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Ripley's Plaque." July 22, 2025.
The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:
Adams, William R. and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.
Adams, William R. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Historical Guide. Pineapple Press, 2009.
Graham, Thomas. Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine. Univ. of Florida Press, 2014.
Harvey, Karen. St. Augustine Enters the Twenty-First Century. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 2010.
Ketterlinus Elementary School. “About Our School: About Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Ketterlinus.” https://www-kes.stjohns.k12.fl.us/about/.
Photograph 1 (1940s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the 1930s and 1940s. Acadia Publishing, 2019.
Photograph 2 (1993): Adams, William R., and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.
Photograph 2 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Ripley's." July 22, 2025.
Photograph 3 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Ripley's Plaque." July 22, 2025.
The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:
Adams, William R. and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.
Adams, William R. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Historical Guide. Pineapple Press, 2009.
Graham, Thomas. Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine. Univ. of Florida Press, 2014.
Harvey, Karen. St. Augustine Enters the Twenty-First Century. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 2010.
Ketterlinus Elementary School. “About Our School: About Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Ketterlinus.” https://www-kes.stjohns.k12.fl.us/about/.
Nolan, David. The Houses of St. Augustine. Pineapple Press, 1995.
Rajtar, Steve, and Kelly Goodman. A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. 1st edition. The History Press, 2007.
Rights
Flagler College’s Rare Books, Floridiana & Institutional Repository are neither the original nor current copyright owner for the photographs. Please contact the publisher or source cited for each photograph to obtain a copy and/or permission to reproduce these items.
Is Referenced By
The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this building as a location:
Matanzas Moon Ablaze
Secret Missions
St. Augustine A to Z
Matanzas Moon Ablaze
Secret Missions
St. Augustine A to Z
Date Submitted
This record was last updated on September 4, 2025.
Collection
Citation
William G. Warden , “Castle Warden / Warden Castle,” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed May 17, 2026, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/307.