Fern Court House | San Mateo, Florida | Built c. 1889
Fern Court, a striking Victorian mansion in San Mateo, Florida, is more than just a house. It is a keeper of stories. Built in the late 19th century, this grand estate has welcomed distinguished guests, echoed with music from glittering dances in its third-floor ballroom, and stood as a proud landmark in the quiet riverside community of San Mateo in Putnam County, perched above the St. Johns River.
Step inside, and the Gilded Age still whispers from every corner: the warm gleam of original wood floors, the jewel tones of stained glass, and the inviting sweep of a wrap-around porch. Fern Court was built for both beauty and gathering, a home where every room holds a fragment of its past.
The Legacy of Fern Court
Known for most of its life as Fern Court, the mansion was constructed in 1889 by Henry B. Bailey, a railroad magnate, citrus broker, and man of considerable influence. Under Bailey’s ownership, Fern Court quickly became a centerpiece of San Mateo society. He played a key role in persuading railroad tycoon Henry Flagler to extend the Florida East Coast Railway into the town, a move that forever altered its fortunes.
In its prime, Fern Court was the heartbeat of the area. The third-floor ballroom hosted elegant dances that drew guests from miles away, while the grounds boasted the only tennis courts in town. Travelers arriving on the San Mateo Express often found themselves welcomed here, including a particularly notable visitor: Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, and, according to some accounts, President Roosevelt himself in 1905.
As the decades passed, the home adapted to new realities. After World War II, it was divided into apartments and later served as a nursing home. Vacant for more than a decade, it was rescued in 1989, when Mr. and Mrs. Jack Morgan restored much of its former beauty.
Historic San Mateo, Florida
Perched on the east bank of the St. Johns River just five miles south of Palatka, San Mateo takes its name from Mateo Simeon Solana, a Minorcan from St. Augustine. The town’s modern history began in 1867, when Northern settlers led by Rev. Mr. Stanton founded a community surrounded by fertile citrus-growing land.
By 1880, San Mateo boasted 400 acres of orange groves, its fruit shipped to market by steamboat. The arrival of the railroad, thanks in part to Bailey’s influence, ushered in an era of prosperity.
Henry Flagler and His Influence on Florida
Henry Flagler was one of the most important figures in Florida’s late 19th and early 20th-century development. A co-founder of Standard Oil alongside John D. Rockefeller, Flagler turned his attention to Florida in the 1880s, investing his fortune into building luxury hotels and expanding the state’s rail system.
Through his Florida East Coast Railway, Flagler connected small towns and isolated settlements along the coast to major markets and tourism centers, sparking rapid growth in communities that had once been accessible only by water or rough trails. His vision transformed Florida into a destination for wealthy winter visitors while also creating new opportunities for farmers, citrus growers, and entrepreneurs.
In San Mateo, Flagler was more than a railroad builder. He purchased two orange groves, including a 16-acre tract that produced thousands of boxes of fruit each year, and founded the San Mateo Cigar Company, famously offering free town lots to anyone who bought 1,000 cigars. Between 1897 and 1899, he even funded an experimental tobacco farm in the area. His connection to the community was personal as well as economic. In one celebrated gesture, he brought the entire population of San Mateo to St. Augustine for a lavish New Year’s Eve celebration at his Hotel Ponce de Leon.
By the turn of the 20th century, San Mateo was a thriving community with churches, schools, shops, a local newspaper, and a reputation for both fine citrus and warm hospitality. Flagler’s influence, combined with the energy of local leaders like Henry Bailey, helped shape San Mateo’s place in Florida’s history.
Your Chance to Continue the Story: Fern Court is for Sale
Today, Fern Court still stands, offering 4,624 square feet of history set on two serene acres. Inside are 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, a library, a screened porch, a hidden room, and a wrap-around porch perfect for catching the evening breeze.
own a piece of history
Fern Court is for Sale!
This beautiful piece of Florida history is currently for sale
- 150 CENTRAL Avenue, San Mateo, FL 32187
- $399,000
- 4,624 square feet
- 2 acres
- Listing Agent: Amira Higginbotham 904-315-3175, Iheart Realty, Inc. 386-546-8571
Time has weathered parts of the home, and some past renovations may need rethinking, but its historic charm remains. For the first time in years, it is available to those who dream of preserving a piece of Florida’s Gilded Age.
Owning Fern Court is not just buying a house. It is stepping into a living story. And if you listen closely, you might still hear the faint strains of music drifting down from the ballroom.
