The three-acre parcel on which the hotel rests was originally part of a 175-acre Spanish land grant given to Antonio Pons II in 1803. Antonio was a native Minorcan who immigrated to Florida in 1768 to participate in John Turnbull’s ill-fated New Smyrna Colony as an indentured servant. Released from servitude in 1777, Antonio moved to the north side of the inlet with his wife Beneta who was also of Minorcan descent. Antonio and Beneta built a home along the banks of the Halifax River and worked hard to improve their land until hostile natives forced them to relocate to Fernandina some years later. Antonio was later killed fighting for Spain during the Patriot War of 1812. The Governor of East Florida José María Coppinger awarded Beneta ownership of the original 175 acres plus an additional 145 acres in restitution for her husband’s death in 1819. The original 175-acre land grant was inherited by her descendants Bartola and Gomecindo Pacetti when she passed away in 1858.
