museum contained Greek and Roman sections that included furnishings and works of art that were historically accurate reproductions. The New York Times called it "A novel, artistic and educational institution". Petition Smith found a like-minded man in Massachusetts Senator George Frisbie Hoar, who presented Smith's petition to Congress on February 12, 1900. It was identified as Senate document number 209 by the 56th Congress, First Session, and 5,000 copies were printed. Unfortunately for Smith, the United States was engaged in the Philippine–American War, and Senator Hoar was one of President William McKinley's strongest critics. The majority of politicians were so preoccupied with the war that they paid scant attention to an issue of culture. When Hoar died in 1904, Smith's plan died with him. With no lawmaker to shepherd the legislation, it never made it out of committee. Death Laura Smith separated from her husband during the 1890s. In the 1900 census, Franklin Smith's marital status was listed as "widowed", but Laura Smith did not die until 1915. The year 1906 ended Smith's dreams when the banks foreclosed on his properties in St. Augustine, Washington, D.C. and Saratoga Springs. Smith died in anonymity and poverty five years later, disowned by his family and residing with his older sister Mary in Boston. He was buried in the Smith family plot of Mount Auburn Cemetery at Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Halls of the Ancients eventually was demolished and the site became a parking garage. During Prohibition, Villa Zorayda was a speakeasy with casino gambling, but today it is a museum. Pompeia was partially destroyed by a fire in 1926, became a Shriners Hall, and today is occupied by an advertising agency. The Casa Monica Hotel was purchased in 1997, renovated to its original grandeur, and re-opened in 1999. In 2000, Franklin Smith was designated a Great Floridian by the Florida Department of State for his contributions in the development of Florida. His Great Floridian plaque is located at the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine. Publications The Conspiracy In The U. S. Navy Department Against Franklin W. Smith Of Boston, 1861-1865 Nabu Press (1865) Wooden ships superseded by iron: Cheap Iron Indispensable For The Revival Of American Commerce A. Mudge & Son (1869) The Hard Times; Agricultural Development The True Remedy (1877) The Pompeia: A Reproduction Of The House Of Pansa, In Pompeii, Buried By Vesuvius Kessinger Publishing (1889) Design & Prospectus for