Room 7

Mariana Pingrow Bonifay (1760 - 1829)

Setting the scene with powder blue/grey walls and two queen beds with all new linens, this relaxing non-smoking room also features a private bath with shower/tub, hair dryer, flat screen TV, complimentary WiFi, mini-fridge, writing desk, daily room service, complimentary continental breakfast, and more.  Success stories of women who combine family life, a business career and public service are now taken for granted. However, this was not the case two hundred years ago; that is why the story of Mariana Bonifay is so outstanding. Bonifay was born in Nantes, France in 1760. Deeds place Bonifay in Pensacola in 1782, one year after Galvez captured the town for Spain. She had ten children when her husband, Joseph Bonifay, died in a war prior to 1801. The population of Pensacola grew from 250 in 1784 to 572 in 1791. A housing shortage resulted, and Bonifay began to build her fortune. Investing her small savings in land and building materials, she entered a partnership with neighbor and carpenter, Charles Lavelle. She furnished the land and materials, he labored and taught her sons the building trade. Bonifay literally helped to build Pensacola. A commemorative stone marker in Pensacola honors her memory, recognizing her as a pioneer, builder, real estate broker, rancher, brick maker, and devoted mother.