Constance Fenimore Woolson

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This one-story home was built with funds donated by Clara Benedict, Constance Fenimore Woolson's niece. Benedict wanted the house to be a place for aspiring writers, and hoped that well-known authors would come and discuss their writings with students in a relaxed atmosphere. She also donated several of Woolson's personal items for use in the house.

Although Woolson never lived in this house, she did make nearby St. Augustine her literary capital of the South. She visited the area often and spent many winters during the 1870s in St. Augustine with her mother. The leisurely Florida atmosphere and beautiful surroundings were often incorporated into Woolson's stories.

Today the home is used by the Rollins College English Department and is available for group meetings with prior arrangement. In 1995, scholars of American and English literature gathered on Rollins campus and founded the Constance Fenimore Woolson Society.

Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840-1894)

Author of five novels and numerous essays, articles, travel sketches, and critiques, Constance Fenimore Woolson was described as the most unconventional female writer in America during the 1870s. She was thorough in developing realistic characters and describing authentic settings.

The great-niece of James Fenimore Cooper was born on March 5, 1840, in Claremont, New Hampshire. Soon after her birth, she moved with her family to Cleveland, Ohio. She attended private schools and went on to the Cleveland Female Seminary during the 1850s. In 1858, she graduated at the top of her class from Madame Chegaray's School in New York City. During the Civil War, she was in charge of a temporary post office in a recovery hospital for convalescing soldiers. Woolson never married.

Although she had been writing from an early age, Woolson did not accept writing as a serious career until her mid-twenties. Her early stories were published in Atlantic Monthly, Scribner's Monthly, Harper's, the Galaxy, and Appleton's Journal.

In 1872 she published her first book, The Old Stone House, a collection of stories for children. The book was largely autobiographical, including descriptions of many family events.

After her father's death, Woolson and her mother spent much of their time traveling. They spent some time in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Later they worked their way through the South. During their travels, they discovered the beautiful area of St. Augustine, Florida, and returned often.

Critics considered Woolson to be a front-ranking author, comparing her works with that of Henry James, George Washington Cabel, and William Dean Howells. She was praised for her ability to capture the uniqueness of the places that she wrote about and for her perceptive rendering of characters.

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