Francis Silas Rodgers, a wealthy cotton factor, phosphate manufacturer and coastwise shipper marries Marie Elizabeth Evans Cochran and together they raise 13 children. Designed in the Second Empire style by architect Daniel G. Waynes, they build an expansive and ornate home at 149 Wentworth Street.

Members of the Rodgers’ family sell the home to the Scottish Rite Cathedral Association for $100,000. The Scottish Rite Masons keep the home until 1940, when it is sold to The Atlantic Coast Insurance Company. It serves as the company headquarters until 1996.

Proprietor Richard Widman purchases The Wentworth Mansion and begins an extensive $7 million renovation that preserves the home’s magnificent architectural features, including the inlaid floors, original staircase, and Tiffany glass, while adding modern conveniences and luxurious bathrooms in order to transform the mansion into a one-of-a-kind historic hotel experience.