Get-Away to a Magnificent Place... Seven Sisters Historical Inn
Seven Sisters Inn, one of the most beautiful B&B's in Florida, unites Victorian-Era elegance with incredible architectural artifacts from all around the world. This 1890 Victorian mansion presents 5 internationally appointed Suites featuring fireplaces, cloud-like canopy beds, soaking spa tubs/showers, full Victorian breakfasts, and romantic candlelight dinners. Experience the history, exploration, gracious amenities, romance and tranquility that only Florida's Empress can offer eloquently. One of the most unique collections of historic structures in Florida, the Ocala Historic District covers 173 acres and encompasses incredible historic homes and structures. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the Ocala Historic District includes homes of the Queen Anne, Frame Vernacular, various Revival and bungalow styles. The streets are lined with massive oaks and each of the beautiful old homes has a story of its own.
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The historic district is bordered by Broadway, Southeast 8th, Silver Springs Place, Southeast 3rd, 13th, and Watula and centers along Fort King Street. There is great historical significance in this alignment. What is now Fort King Street was originally the Fort King Road, chopped through the woods during the 1820s to connect old Fort King with Fort Brooke at Tampa Bay. The site of Fort King is on the north side of Southeast Fort King Street, just east of the district. A historical marker denotes the actual location of the fort, no trace of which remains.
This led Joseph Caldwell to plat land in what is now the Ocala Historic District for development in 1880. Beautiful and quite large homes soon began to spring up on Caldwell's addition, which was part of a Spanish land grant originally conferred on Don Antonio Alvarez in 1817.
During the mid 19th century, the town of Ocala grew around Fort King, which played a strategic role in the Seminole Indian Wars. By 1846, Ocala became the county seat for Florida's newly formed Marion County. The town was devastated during the Civil War, reducing its population to a few hundred people.
When proximal Silver Springs received widespread attention in a scientific journal in 1870, tourists began to flood to Ocala. They initially came by paddlewheel steamboat, but it was not long before a railroad reached the city making travel even easier for visitors. As a result, Ocala prospered.
Unfortunately, after this rebound, the town's center was destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving Day, 1883. The town was rebuilt with fire resistant material, thus providing Ocala its new nickname of the "Brick City". Here on Fort King Street, the Rheinauer House occupied a half acre lot. Because of its wood frame construction and the fear of fire, the kitchen and carriage house were built in the rear of the lot. By the time that the Rheinauer were complete in 1890, Ocala had expanded to cover four square miles and was the fifth largest town in the state. Hundreds of homes and other structures continue to be constructed in the district between 1880 and 1930. Of these, more than 200 survive today. Their historical significance and architectural beauty are magnified by the stunning cover of oaks, small open spaces and large lots that create a wonderland of history and nature.
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