GOING OUTSIDE

IMAGE ABOVE -- Was Stephen Crane's favorite dog buried here?  We're peering into the Court's courtyard, which looked rather plain, really.  The yard lay in the middle of the building and was enclosed on all four sides by rooms.  It allowed light & air to better enter the structure.  Interned later in this space may've been Sponge (aka Spongie), Stephen's pet who was his only deathbed companion when he passed away in 1900.  While Cora was in Ireland seven years later, she learned that the canine had expired.  Heartbroken, she cabled the Court's staff to place him in the courtyard.

(Source of images: Florida State Archives)

IMAGE ABOVE -- The bordello's patrons could enjoy a break in rocking and wicker chairs in the "garden porch."  This terrace probably didn't border the courtyard, for it likely ran along the south side of the Court, as indicated by a fire insurance map from 1903.  A horse stable can be seen to the left, according to the State Archives.

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