The Casa Marina Hotel

Posted: 03.24.2025 | Updated: 03.24.2025

The historic Casa Marina Hotel has been known as the Jewel of the Beaches for decades, welcoming highly esteemed guests and tourists to its glamorous boutique-style accommodations. But while guests are enjoying their seaside escape, drinking cocktails, and escaping from their daily routine, they are also being watched by the presence of spirits from long ago.

If you are interested in learning more about the rich history of the Jacksonville Beach area or want to find out about other haunted locations throughout St. Augustine, be sure to schedule your next ghost tour with us here at Old City Ghosts.

Who Haunts the Casa Marina Hotel?

Since it first opened its doors a century ago, the Casa Marina Hotel has entertained guests who have traveled from all over the world to dine and relax in this peaceful setting. However, the boutique hotel has also seen its fair share of hardships, shutting down not long after becoming a site for military housing during WWII. 

Today the twenty-four guest room hotel has reopened with the same charm it maintained from years ago, but there are some things that linger within the walls of this establishment that should have been left in the past.

The History of the Casa Marina Hotel

The historic Casa Marina Hotel first opened its doors on June 6^th, 1925, in the Jacksonville Beach community. Florida was at its peak in the tourism industry, and this new European-style boutique hotel was known as the Jewel of the Beaches. It was one of the finest hotels in the southern United States at the time, and more than two hundred guests were in attendance to take part in opening day celebrations.

The glamorous hotel became the top spot for tourists and VIPs, hosting esteemed guests including celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin and Jean Harlow, members of the British royal family, and U.S. Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. Another famous guest who enjoyed staying at the Casa Marina was the American gangster and businessman, Al Capone.

The Casa Marina During World War II

As the devastation of the Great Depression hit the tourism industry, the hotel began to experience a decline in guests. After thriving for many years, the hotel was appropriated in 1944 by the U.S. government during World War II to be used as military housing. The U.S. leased the property for seven years as it housed the families of naval officers who were stationed in nearby Mayport.

Following the war, the Casa Marina hotel faced foreclosure several times as the ownership exchanged hands. It was once a 37-room apartment complex, then became a restaurant, a tearoom, a shop for vintage clothing, and a cultural center for environmentalists until it finally closed its doors in 1980.

The Grand Re-Opening of Casa Marina

The hotel remained closed until 1991 when a successful restoration project brought it back to life with help from entrepreneur Allen G. Brown. The newly designed Casa Marina included a veranda and penthouse apartment on the third floor that Brown made his personal residence. When he died in 2005, the hotel owners decided to turn the penthouse and the open-air patio attached to it into a new lounge for the hotel.

When Brown passed, it seemed as if the hotel itself offered its condolences, perhaps in exchange for everything he did to restore it back to its former glory. It has been said that after his funeral, the electronic locks on the second floor of the hotel started flashing red and green. Some say that the spirits who reside within the hotel were welcoming him into the afterlife.

The Haunting of the Casa Marina Hotel

The strange occurrences of lights flashing following Brown’s death were not the first time something haunting and unusual occurred at this Jacksonville Beach hotel. Locals and staff members have believed the hotel was haunted by multiple spirits for several years.

Former guests of the hotel have reportedly heard shuffling noises coming from the upstairs suites when they were empty. Visitors have heard disembodied voices and have noticed the distinct scent of cigar smoke in the hallways when there’s no one smoking in the area.

It is believed there is a mischievous prankster ghost who appears at the main stairway of the hotel. This ghost is known to trick guests as they walk up the staircase and attempt to trip them. It always happens as the unsuspecting guest reaches the seventh step. Some people believe it may be the spirit of former film star Fatty Arbuckle.

Who Was Fatty Arbuckle?

Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was a silent film actor and comedian who reached the height of his career in the 1910s when he was one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. He was a pioneer in comedy and starred in films such as Ben’s Kid as well as in short films for Selig Polyscope Company and Mack Sennett’s Keystone Cops comedies. His large size was part of his comedic routine; however, he was self-conscious about his weight and refused to use it just for cheap laughs.

Although he’s known for his contribution to the early days of comedy, Arbuckle was also a part of one of Hollywood’s first scandals. In the early 1920s, he was accused of sexually assaulting a 30-year-old aspiring actress named Virginia Rappe. 

When examined by physicians, they found no evidence of the crime Rappe accused Arbuckle of. She died shortly after that on September 9^th, 1921, from peritonitis caused by a ruptured bladder. Maude Delmont, a woman who claimed to be close friends with Rappe, alleged that Virginia had died due to the violent sexual assault she endured by Arbuckle.

On the day of Virginia’s death, police arrested Arbuckle on charges that he murdered Rappe. He was held without bail. A grand jury indicted him on first-degree manslaughter on September 13^th, 1921. Still, Arbuckle denied any wrongdoing. Delmont, who had a police record of blackmail and prostitution, later admitted she was plotting to extort money from him.

Fatty Arbuckle was a man who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And unfortunately, he ended up paying for it for the remainder of his days.

Arbuckle’s Time at the Casa Marina

It has been said that Arbuckle stayed at the Casa Marina hotel for a while as he was trying to get his career back on track. Although he seemed to enjoy himself while he was there, those who knew him say Arbuckle was never quite the same after he left the hotel. Reportedly, he was no longer the prankster he was in the past. 

While he would still goof off from time to time, he became more of a recluse, remaining pensive and reserved. During his stay at the Casa Marina, he would stare out into the waves of the ocean for a long time as if searching for absolution. Many say that the hotel itself had an impact on his mental psyche. 

Arbuckle passed away in his sleep, dying from a heart attack in 1933 at the age of 48. It has been said that he died on the same day he signed a contract with Warner Bros. to make a feature film with them. It’s been said that along with pranking guests on the stairway, he’s been seen walking around the hotel and outside on the boardwalk.

The Haunting Phone Call 

Another ghostly encounter that occurred more recently involved a guest who stayed at the hotel overnight. She unplugged the landline phone before going to bed because she didn’t want to wake up to unnecessary calls. 

The guest woke up near morning to the sound of the phone ringing. She thought she was dreaming and got up to go to the restroom. She returned to bed to go back to sleep and checked again if the landline was unplugged from the wall. 

Suddenly, the phone rang again. She saw the touchtone panel on the phone light up and could hear it ringing. The guest knew she was wide awake and alert this time. It started ringing again. 

She didn’t answer it. In a panic, she turned on the light. The hardwood flooring inside her room had the appearance of large scratch marks on it that weren’t there when she arrived earlier that day.

Haunted St. Augustine

St. Augustine, Florida, may be a beautiful and serene beach town that attracts many tourists throughout the year. Still, even with its comforting atmosphere, there are plenty of haunted locations throughout the area and urban legends from locals that have been passed down from one generation to the next. 

If you are interested in finding out more about Florida’s top haunted spots, be sure to check out our blog. And for even more thrills, be sure to book your next ghost tour with us here at Old City Ghosts.

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Sources:

• https://staugustineghosttours.com/blog/
• https://www.casamarinahotel.com
• https://www.casamarinahotel.com/hotel-history
• https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/casa-marina-hotel-and-restaurant/history.php
• https://www.beachesmuseum.org/casa-marina-the-jewel-of-the-beaches/
• https://www.savvymamalifestyle.com/casa-marina-hotel-jacksonville-florida/
• https://www.jacksonville.com/story/entertainment/2021/09/20/haunted-places-jacksonville-paranormal-guide-first-coast/8349582002/
• https://www.delcotimes.com/2011/12/04/the-highwayman-movie-stars-gangsters-and-ghosts/
• https://localmotivetravel.com/2018/11/01/16-local-haunts-visit-along-floridas-first-coast/
• www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14640719