Arcadia Homestead

Cassie Brown
Posted: 7/24/2020

In March 2019, the Arcadia Mill Historic Site opened a new historic site near their preexisting historic industrial site. The Arcadia Homestead sits on about seven acres where an 1830s plantation estate once sat. Since the house burned down about ninety years ago, the site includes a 1930s historic house, a small garden, and exposed archaeological remains of the plantation house and outbuildings.

The original plantation house was built in the 1830s and overlooked the industrial complex interpreted at the Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site. E. E. Simpson, one of the owners of the industrial complex, used the house as his summer home for him, his wife, and their thirteen children. After he died, his son C. H. Simpson took over the farming on the property. He eventually married Anna Fitzgerald and they lived in the historic house with their three children. In 1935, on a breezy March day, a spark from the chimney blew onto the roof and the house quickly burned to the ground. During the fire, the family managed to save some of their furniture and treasured valuables, but once the fire reached the guns and ammunition stored in the nursery, they had to flee to a safe distance. Since the fire occurred during one of the worse economic times the country has ever seen, the family had to quickly rebuild with almost no money. They took wood and supplies from around the farm to build a small bungalow to replace their opulent three-story house. They filled the house with furniture they saved from the fire and the family stayed there until 2016 when they donated the house and property to the UWF Historic Trust. The UWF Archaeology Department has been doing research on the property for several years and will hopefully continue to do so in the future.

The 1930s historic house is now a museum that highlights the history of the Simpson family and life during the Great Depression in the South. Through renovations in 2018, the house was brought back to 1930s style house. The living room and dining room houses furniture saved during the 1935 fire that the family kept for all the years that they lived in the house. A radio plays programs from the 1930s, such as Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats and the Hindenburg disaster. Historic silver is displayed in the dining room that belonged to E.E. Simpson’s wife. The kitchen has recipes from Anna Simpson posted on the wall in her handwriting. The room also includes a wood burning stove, a sewing machine and a gas-powered washing machine. Outside, the house has a small Victory garden that the staff maintains. The rest of the property has paths that walk under heritage live oaks and through archaeological remains of the historic site. These remains include the plantation house, a well, and a slave cabin. The Arcadia Homestead, like Arcadia Mill, is dedicated to telling the story of not just the plantation owners, but those unjustly enslaved that worked and lived on the property.

The Arcadia Homestead is a great stop for the family, where both children and adults can have fun and learn about local history. Children love running the grounds and looking through a house that is so much different than their own. Adults always feel that the house reminds them of someone from the past. The most common phrase they say is, “This feels like Grandma’s house.” They would be correct because while the Simpson family once was the richest families in the area, by the 1930s they were like everyone else because the Great Depression affected everyone. The historic house does not just represent that one family, it represents all families that lived through the Great Depression with very little.

The Arcadia Homestead is open Friday and Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM. For more information visit their website, http://www.historicpensacola.org/explore-arcadia-mill/.

Arcadia Homestead: Story Time with Miss Moss

Cassie Brown

Posted: 7/20/2020

   

In a time of quarantine and isolation, children (and even parents) are suffering from “cabin fever” and need something to do. The Arcadia Mill staff understand how difficult these times are and have created a way to entertain and educate children without putting anyone at risk. Every Wednesday, the character Miss Moss sits underneath the story tree and reads a story about history, culture, nature, feelings, and more. These short videos posted on social media have helped to not only entertain families, but to keep connections with the Arcadia community.

The “Story Time with Miss Moss,” program began in the Summer of 2019 by the Arcadia Mill staff for the Arcadia Homestead that opened earlier in the same year. For years, the Arcadia Mill Visitor Center had hosted their monthly kids craft program, and they wanted to continue this outreach by creating a program to encourage literacy at the Arcadia Homestead. The character Miss Moss was created by Krystal Johnson, the site’s Education Coordinator, as a tool to connect with children during these story times. In her overalls and moss-covered brim hat, Johnson sits in a rocking chair under the live heritage oaks on the homestead property to read a story. She reads stories such as “The Lorax,” “If You Give a Pig a Pancake,” and, “Where the Wild Things Are.” She even touches on topics like celebrating Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the freedom gained by those once enslaved. When asked why she started this program, Johnson replied, “I wanted to get families outdoors, enjoying nature and learning together. The enormous heritage oaks at Arcadia Homestead provide a picturesque, peaceful, and most importantly, shaded, area for gathering outdoors. I would often wonder about the stories these old live oak trees could tell about what they have witnessed in their centuries-long lives.”

With the impact of COVID-19 reaching across the country, the staff found a way to continue this treasured story time. The setting is a little different, with the viewer at home, but the message is still the same: The Arcadia staff wishes to continue educating, entertaining, and connecting with their community. The videos on Facebook of Miss Moss include a different story every week and recently have included a sing-along at the very end. While these videos have helped everyone stay connected this summer, the Arcadia staff deeply miss seeing everyone. When asked if there was anything else she wanted people to know about Miss Moss, she replied, “I miss the in-person experience of seeing children connect with the stories and interacting with Miss Moss, but it has been rewarding to receive responses from our original attendees who get excited each week about visiting the Story Tree from the comfort and safety of their own homes! I look forward to seeing them all sitting on the giant blanket in the grass with Miss Moss again someday.”

If you wish to watch “Story Time with Miss Moss” videos, follow Arcadia Mill on Facebook to see new uploads every Wednesday.

      

Old City Hall

Spenser Andrade
Posted: 5/12/2020

Sitting on the western border of the Pensacola Historic District is the T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum. Sandwiched between two picturesque parks, Plaza Ferdinand VII and Museum Plaza, the Wentworth Museum is the UWF Historic Trust’s flagship museum and a prime example of Pensacola’s adaptive historic preservation efforts. The stunning architecture of the building includes elements from the Mission and Mediterranean Revival movements. These architectural styles enjoyed their greatest popularity during the early 1900s. One of the most frequently asked questions about the Wentworth is about the history of the building. Before becoming the museum it is today, the building originally served as Pensacola City Hall.

A Sanborn map of Pensacola showing the location of city hall in 1903.
The yellow square at the southwest corner of Jefferson and Zarragossa
would later become the site of the 1908 city hall.

Commonly called “old city hall” by some locals, the building was actually Pensacola’s new city hall from 1908 to 1986. According to the 1900 city directory, Pensacola’s former city hall was located at 405 South Jefferson Street. This building housed the city government, police and fire headquarters, and the jail. Nothing of this building survives to this day, and the address is currently the location of the Pensacola Museum of Art’s staff parking lot. Nonetheless, the 1908 city hall provided enough space for the city government to operate during a time of social and economic boom in the region. The building remained largely unchanged for the next fifty years. Minor additions to the building included the addition of elevators, new entry ways, and air conditioning in the 1950s.

The newly constructed city hall as it appeared around 1910. In the top-right,
an inventory of freshly-cut logs waiting to be shipped floating in the port

By the 1960s, the city government and services outgrew the capacity of the building. The city provided additional workspace by acquiring satellite offices around downtown. During the 1980s, as part of Pensacola “Direction 85” public works plan, the city secured funding for a new city hall on Main Street. Groundbreaking for a new Pensacola City Hall began in January 1984 and construction was completed in mid-1986. The 1908 city hall was acquired by the state and thoroughly renovated into a museum after receiving the Wentworth Collection. The namesake of the collection and museum is Theodore Thomas “T. T.” Wentworth, a long-time Pensacola resident. Mr. Wentworth stored and displayed a massive collection at his museum near his house in Ensley, Florida, a small community just north of Pensacola. Throughout his life, Wentworth amassed over 150,000 items. By the 1980s, his collection outgrew the capacity of his museum, and Wentworth donated his collection to the State of Florida. The newly renovated museum opened in 1988. Recent improvements to the building include modernized signage, window projections, new lamppost fixtures, and color-changing architectural lighting.

Port of Pensacola

Alex Ardoin
Posted: 5/8/2020

To those readers who live in and around Pensacola, you’ve most likely driven past the entrance to the Port of Pensacola. While these days it is a mere shell of its former self, it used to be the lifeblood of the city. Pensacola was originally surveyed out by Spanish explorers as the bay was suitable for a deep-water port. The first recorded export of commercial goods occurred in 1743.

The early days of the port consisted mostly of logging exports and berths for the fishing industry. In 1883, Eugene Edwin Saunders together with sea captain Thomas Everett Welles established the E. E. Saunders & Company and grew the company into the region’s largest Red Snapper dealer. William Benjamin Wright ran the W. B. Wright Company who was a major lumber exporter. In 1901 the W. B. Wright Company had the capacity to turn out over 65,000 feet of lumber, 20,000 laths, and 40,000 shingles.

Muscogee Wharf

Around the late 1800’s heading into the 1900’s there were several different wharves that jutted out into the bay. Among them were the Muscogee, Commendencia Street, and Tarragona Street wharves. The L&N Terminal building was constructed in 1902 and was situated on the Commendencia Street wharf. It was the major terminus for lumber and coal exports before becoming the Port Authority office in 1959. After its relocation to the corner of Barracks and Main streets its now serves as a coordinating center for the Florida Public Archaeology Network.

The modern port that resides in Pensacola today was opened in 1963. It sits on land that coincides with the original locations of the Commendencia and Tarragona wharves. The rail tracks that sat along the original route down Tarragona Street terminate in the modern port. In current times, logging and fishing have become slower industries and containerization of shipping has meant that the Port of Pensacola isn’t as bustling as it once was. As any good business does, the port has embraced new business opportunities. Artists and woodworkers and other tradesmen have begun to populate their spaces. Blue Origins, Jeff Bezos’ private space exploration company, has housed a ship in the port for repurposing operations and as home base for its future operations. The University of West Florida has recently established a fabrication facility that is part of the Mechanical Engineering department. General Electric uses the port as a venue to get their wind turbine housings onto freight ships to be routed to locations worldwide. In 2018, New York Yacht Club American Magic sailing team, who competes in the America’s Cup sailing competition, located their winter base at the Port of Pensacola.

Throughout Pensacola’s history the port has been an integral part of the city’s economy. They bay’s suitability to deep-water shipping was part of the reason for Pensacola’s location. Through fishing and logging industries, the port experienced incredible growth through the 1800’s to early 1900’s. Modern times have seen the port become less of a hub for the shipping trade but become a center of alternative business opportunities that show that it still has importance to the city of Pensacola.

Archives: The Three Rectors

Spenser Andrade
Posted: 5/5/2020

Located on the southwest corner of Seville Square, Old Christ Church is a prominent Pensacola landmark and undoubtedly a valuable historic structure. Built in 1832, the historic church served the Pensacola community for the next 71 years. The congregation moved to a new church located on North Palafox at the foot of the North Hill neighborhood in 1903. The church building continued to serve the community after it was converted into a public library and then a museum of local history. Fast forward to now, the building became part of the UWF Historic Trust. Today, the picturesque building serves as a popular venue for meetings, special events, and weddings. During normal museum hours, the church is part of the Trust’s ticketed guided tours. On the tour, visitors will be able to enter the church and learn about the history of the building from their guide. One of the more interesting facts given on the tour is the mention of three graves underneath the church.

The little black door behind Old Christ Church as seen from
Zarragoza Street.

Visitors may or may not notice the little black door located on the exterior of the church just under the stained glass of the western wall. Although off-limits to the public, the door secures the final resting place for three of the church’s former rectors. Inside the church, guests will see a marble plaque dedicated to Joseph Saunders, Frederick Peake, and David Flower. These men are the three rectors buried beneath the church. Reverends Saunders and Flower died in 1839 and 1853 respectively, and both rectors died of yellow fever. Unsurprisingly, these years also correspond with yellow fever epidemics in Pensacola. Reverend Peake died of tuberculosis in 1946. Further investigation explains why these men were buried underneath the church.

Originally, the present-day altar did not cover these graves. Additions to the original church extended the rear of the church by twenty feet covering their graves. Prior to this extension, the back of the church served as a vestry room (i.e., an office or changing room) for the clergy. After learning about a story of Union soldiers potentially vandalizing the graves during the Civil War, members of the Christ Episcopal Church congregation funded a $38,000 archaeological dig in 1988. A team of UWF archaeologists and volunteers conducted the excavation from May to July 1988. The excavation located all three graves and a forensic physical anthropologist from Florida State University helped identify the remains. After the culmination of the dig, the skeletons were placed in cedar caskets and reinterred underneath the church.

Arcadia Then and Now: Anna Simpson, 1930s

Hannah Matthews
Posted: 4/30/2020

We are living in uncertain times, my friend. COVID-19 was the unexpected and unwelcomed surprise that has upset our everyday life. This pandemic has touched everybody. We have all had to make sacrifices. We have had to cancel social events, celebrations, and valuable time with family members that we may never get back. We have had to adjust to online school and learn how to work from home. Some have lost loved ones; others have lost jobs. The news upsets us more than it calms our fears. It is okay to feel pessimistic. Nobody knows for sure when we will go back to normal, or how much of our “normal” life will resume once this pandemic has come to pass. During times like these, we need reassurance that we will overcome this difficult time. We need to hear stories of those who have come before us, and how they overcame their unprecedented hardships. We need to learn that not only can we learn from our mistakes in history, but we can take comfort in knowing that people, everyday people like us, once felt the same as we do right now.

People have caught on to this sentiment. Major news networks have done stories comparing our current situation to other trying times in our nation’s history. People are sharing more history-related content on social media than ever before. We are looking to the past for answers while seeking inspiration. Over the course of my quarantine journey, I have been thinking about one local woman’s experience during the Great Depression. Anna Simpson, the daughter-in-law of Arcadia Mill’s Ezekiel Simpson, faced unique hardships throughout the Great Depression. In March 1935, the Simpson family lost their historic home to a fire. Constructed in 1835 by slave labor, the house was a three-story mansion with fourteen rooms. The house predated the Civil War, and many citizens in Santa Rosa County often stopped by to marvel at its beauty. The Simpson home was considered to be a “stamp of the antebellum days.” The Pensacola Journal reported that the estimated damage was around $7,000. In today’s dollars, the cost would total to roughly $131,000. The Simpson family lost numerous valuable heirlooms to the fire. By July 1935, the Simpsons had built a new home using materials they could salvage from the fire. The Simpson home, which is now interpreted at the Arcadia Homestead, is a modest Depression-era bungalow. Within a year of living in the new home, Anna’s husband passed away. Losing a home filled with family heirlooms to a devastating fire and then grieving the death of a loved one are two very traumatic events to cope within a short amount of time.

Anna Simpson decided not to let her losses define her. Anna was an artist and used her talent to better the Milton community. Anna was hired by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), one of FDR’s New Deal agencies, to teach art classes to the children of Milton. As an art instructor, Anna taught her students different drawing techniques. She also hosted art galleries where her students' work would be displayed. Anna’s experience during the Great Depression serves as a reminder that no matter what hardships we experience; we can overcome them. To honor Anna Simpson’s time as an art educator, we will be implementing a new art activity at the Arcadia Homestead. Our younger guests will be able to learn more about the Great Depression by drawing. Each month, we will have a different drawing prompt that corresponds to the 1930s.

We are looking forward to reopening! Next time the quarantine blues get to you, remember that if Anna Simpson can power through her struggles, so can you! History can be comforting. Be sure to document your experience with this pandemic. Years from now, people will want to know how we overcame this mess. We will be the ones they seek inspiration from down the road! Until then, remember to adhere to all social distancing guidelines, wear masks, and wash your hands! The Arcadia staff is looking forward to seeing you all very soon!

Hospitality Views: Theme Parks

Brittney Anderson
Posted: 4/29/2020

As we all know, theme parts are the ‘BIGGEST’ attractions in the hospitality industry. Many times, because of theme parks, it allows close hotels, restaurants, and stores to thrive. Because of the impacts of COVID-19, theme parks around the world have temporarily closed their doors. Even Disney has had to close up shop in order to take the proper precautions that have been mandated. In fact, for the first time in history, The Walt Disney Company, has closed every single Disney theme park around the globe. Most theme parks in the United States, such as Six Flags, Busch Gardens, and SeaWorld put out statements that they would close through the end of March. As we all know that quickly had to change till the end of April. While government officials are about to start opening more businesses in order to keep the economy afloat, I do not personally see theme parks being able to open very soon, let alone May 1st.

When theme parks do finally get to see the light of day, I believe things will be very different. For example, rides will be at limited capacity, and a lot more hand sanitizer will be dispensed. But that could only be the beginning. It will be very important for our industry and the economy that we get to open up these beloved parks soon; however, we must take the proper precautions to stop the spread of this virus, that has no doubt already made history.

Pensacola Children's Museum

Cathy Dewey
Posted: 4/25/2020

Hello everyone! My name is Cathy Dewey and I work part time at the Pensacola Historic Trust. But, the current health situation with the Covid-19 certainly has put us all into a major tailspin!!! While our museums have been closed, I have been working on ideas for visitor enhancements that can make our museums even better. While I think we have a lot to offer, every facility can be improved upon and I have some ideas that I am hoping to present. But, in the meantime I want to tell you about my favorite museum at our facility

Though I work at all the museum desks (I do enjoy dressing up in Victorian costumes when working at the Tivoli-High House), my favorite museum to work in is the Pensacola Children’s Museum. The Pensacola Children’s Museum, or PCM as we call it, has numerous interactive exhibits that have been created for the utmost in stimulating a child’s imagination. The PCM has it all from early colonial era exhibits to modern 21st century exhibits. Sit back and I’ll tell you a few of the things that I love about our children’s museum!

I truly enjoy children and love to watch them while they play in our facility. On our first floor, we have a replica of our Historic Village complete with a trading post, a military fort, the LaValle House and a sailing ship, among other activities. Children can put on colonial costumes, sell and buy replica produce and other trading post/farmers market items. They can cook play food in cast iron pots and serve dinners at table in the little play cabin or the fort. They can see how colonial people slept on rope beds, used wheelbarrows to move things around, raised the flag, and churned butter in wooden butter churns. The first floor also has a toddler area with age appropriate interactive toys and a magnet board.

The very best part of working at the PCM is watching the children transform. In the high technology world, we live in these days, the ability to use the imagination has been virtually taken away. When children of this era walk in to the PCM, there is no technology, there is no internet or cell phones or computers. The children are given the opportunity to utilize a seldom used part of their brains…their imagination! I have seen the most fantastic scenarios created in our museum and have never seen the exact same one twice. The awakening of the imagination and what it can produce when challenged is an amazing thing to watch! It is very rewarding to see children of all ages come in, often with a bored look on their face, like “what am I going to do here?” only to see those same children a few minutes later all dressed up in costumes, running around buying and selling play food from the Trading Post and pretending they live in the cabin or are sailing off on the high seas. That makes for a great day for me at the PCM.

Next week I will tell you about some of the exhibits we have on our second floor. Hopefully, reading about our museums while we are all staying safely away from each other, will induce you to come see what we are all about and come watch your children blossom, once our museums are re-opened.

Archive Folder: Newspapers

Spenser Andrade

Posted: 4/24/2020

Newspapers are normally printed daily or weekly. Usually, a newspaper will offer information and opinions about local, regional, and national events, supplying a valuable primary source to researchers. The Hilton-Green Research Room houses a collection of select Northwest Florida newspapers. Two valuable newspapers currently in the collection, although incomplete, include the Colored Citizen and the Gulf Coast Voice. These two newspapers served a target audience: Pensacola’s African American community. The Colored Citizen, a weekly, was printed from 1914 to 1965. With over forty issues, the Hilton-Green Research Room houses the largest known collection of this newspaper. The Gulf Coast Voice, founded as the Pensacola Voice, another weekly newspaper, was printed from 1964 to 2018. 

A portion of the Hilton-Green Research Room’s newspaper

collection. Notice the amount of space the boxes occupy.

However, collecting new newspapers is very problematic. Aging newspapers become extremely fragile, forming tears along creases from old folds and the edges of the papers begin to fray. The paper’s material stability degrades and discolors from acidic degradation caused by chemicals found in the wood pulp and ink, increasing the newspaper's fragility. Newspapers will also deteriorate in humid environments and are susceptible to photolytic degradation (i.e, damage from light). Another problem collecting and housing newspapers is a matter of space. Ideally, newspapers are stored flat inside acid-free containers, taking up a lot of real estate on the storage area’s shelves.

A fantastic way of mitigating a newspaper’s size while enabling preservation is by microfilm. Microfilm is basically an image of a newspaper captured and stored on a reel of film. A viewing machine, aptly called a microfilm reader, is used to project and enlarge the images onto a screen into a readable size. Possibly the only downside to microfilm is navigating the long reels to find a specific issue or article. The Hilton-Green Research Room has a small collection of microfilmed newspapers and a microfilm reader. One notable newspaper in our microfilm collection is the Pensacola Gazette. Printed from the 1820s to the 1860s, the Gazette offers a glimpse into territorial and pre-Civil War Pensacola. We also have a few issues of the Floridian on microfilm, the first newspaper printed in Pensacola after Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821. 

A box of microfilmed Pensacola newspapers. Shown is a reel of Pensacola Gazette

issues from March 1851 to March 1854.

One of the more convenient newspaper resources today is Newspapers.com, a website owned and operated by Ancestry. Newspapers.com contains a vast archive of digitized and searchable newspapers from around the United States. Their archive includes a large collection of the Pensacola News Journal. Founded as two competing papers, the Pensacola Daily News in 1889 and Pensacola Journal in 1897, the newspapers consolidated under Perry Publications in the early 1920s. They continued as separate morning and evening editions, combining into the News-Journal on Sundays. Gannett, the publishers of USA Today, bought the papers in 1969 and changed the papers into today’s familiar singular format in 1985. The Hilton-Green Research Room subscribes to Newspapers.com, which is available on the research computers in the archives.

A screenshot from Newspapers.com showing the Pensacola

Journal’s April 1985 issue announcing the consolidation of the

two papers into its present-day format.

Village Guided Tours

Madeline Colón
Posted: 4/21/2020

Hello everyone! I hope this finds you doing well and learning how to take on each day. Today I wanted to talk about what could easily be the most popular aspect of the Historic Village. That would be our guided tours! When we are open, the tours occur at 11 am and 1 pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays. No matter where the location for the day at work, this is overall the most asked about part of the admission ticket. On this tour, you go to four other houses and Old Christ Church with a tour guide of the Historic Village. Here is a description of each of the locations you can see, which is what you will be able to know once we can offer this to the public again! 

Old Christ Church: Even before I started working here, I became familiar with this location because I saw two of my friends get married here last year! It was a beautiful wedding if you are engaged and looking for a venue, check this one out.

LaValle House: The home was built in 1805 during the Spanish Period by Maria Bonifay and Carlos LaValle, and the inside recreates what the 19th-century homes were like in Pensacola. It was initially on West Government Street, but once purchased by the Historic Pensacola Preservation Board, it relocated to East Church Street. 

Dorr House: Built-in 1871, and the inside is an interpretation of a wealthy family after the Civil War that would have been a result of being a part of a thriving lumber industry. Architecture in the house is Greek Revival and is in the original location facing Seville Square. 

Lear House: Constructed in 1889 at 214 East Zaragoza Street, it is now an interpretation of what homes in the 1920s would have appeared to be. The specific year for this renovation is 1927, and it is what has drawn visitors today.

That is all the information I will give for now, and I hope you will visit the Historical Village to learn even more information very soon.

Colonial Archaeological Trail

Alex Ardoin
Posted: 4/20/2020

If you’ve visited any of our museums at the Historic Trust, you’ll undoubtedly have heard mention of archaeology.  Firstly, what is archaeology?  It is defined as the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.  Not only does the Historic Trust have many archaeological artifacts on display in our museums, we also have created The Colonial Archaeological Trail for our visitors to experience.  The Archaeological Trail is a series of exposed preserves from previous digs that are available to view with information boards alongside them.  The best part is that many of these pieces are outdoors and publicly available while our museums are temporarily closed!

            Available on our website is a brochure that details each preserve and provides a map to help you locate them.  That map will also show you just why so much of Pensacola’s history has been told through archaeology.  You’ll find that the district that the Historic Trust is located in sits almost entirely within three forts from the Spanish and British periods.  Detailed in the T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Museum is an archaeology exhibit that gives a look into the efforts of the University of West Florida’s Department of Archaeology at excavating and preserving artifacts.  Some of their pieces are even on display in the exhibit.  If you’re local to Pensacola then you’ll probably remember extensive construction from 2018-2019 along Jefferson Street and Zaragoza Street.  While that construction was taking place, there was also archaeological digging going on as well.  So even more of Pensacola’s history was being unearthed and hopefully coming to our museums to tell us all more about the city’s wonderful history!

Museum of Industry

Skyler Browder
Posted: 4/16/2020

I am sure that everyone here has visited the T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum or the Museum of Commerce. They are some of the main museums that everyone enjoys visiting when they visit us, but would you be shocked if I told you there was a diamond in the ruff? The Museum of Industry would be that diamond. The Museum of Industry or MOI is one of the four major museums that we have on site and discusses the industries of Pensacola through the 19th century.

MOI is located right across from the Museum of Commerce and is not hard to miss. In front of the museum is the T.R. Miller Company locomotive with accompanying flat car and caboose. Inside of the museum you will learn about the industries that helped grow Pensacola. The industries include lumberjacking, brick making, railroads, and commercial fishing. The museum itself explains how all of these industries helped propelled Pensacola into a major hub of commerce along the Gulf Coast.

The industries of 19th century Pensacola were intertwined and helped sustain each other, so the museum layout is as well. When you walk into the museum you take a step back in time to see all of the different industries coexisting next to one another. First you see the brick making style of Pensacola. Next, to the right is the docks of Pensacola Bay, and to the left is a fishing boat just coming into harbor. Further to the right, just past the docks you can see the lumber industry. Once you walk through the lumber industry you walk right onto the loading station for the T.R. Miller locomotive sitting right outside, displaying the different stops the train would have traveled.

The Museum of Industry is one of my favorite museums we have. I enjoy being able to understand why Pensacola was, and is, one of the most important cities on the Gulf Coast to this day. While yes, you can learn that from an overall history of the area, the Museum of Industry gives the patron a look at the type of people who made up Pensacola’s past. The people who helped push the lonely frontier city of the 19th century and before were rough and hardworking people, but they paved the way for the people of the 20th century forward to live in a prosperous and beautiful city we live in today.

Hospitality Views: Restaurants

Brittney Anderson
Posted: 4/15/2020

Hello readers! In today’s blog post I will be talking about the effects of the Coronavirus on restaurants. Restaurants make up a huge portion of the hospitality industry, but it seems that the spread of this virus has sucked the hospitality right out of them. Hospitality, by definition, is the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Restaurants offer this friendly, personable reception and entertainment by creating special dining in experience. Now that is illegal!

Restaurants are required by law to only offer drive-thru, carry-out, or delivery. However, because of the stay-at-home orders, a lot less people are taking out and many restaurants, especially smaller mom-and-pop restaurants, have had to close their doors indefinitely. So, I think this pandemic brings a really hard question in to play; Do we stay home to stop the possible spread of the virus or do we go to a drive-thru or take out to help these businesses stay afloat?

Not all businesses are closing up shop though. For example, most fast food chains. But this crisis has brought them their own set of problems. Many of these do not offer good paid leave and sick policies in place. One of those food chains is Chipotle.  According to a VOX article, Chipotle workers in New York City walked off the job last week, calling on the fast-casual chain to comply with the city’s paid-sick-leave law. After the backlash Chipotle’s spokesperson said that they were fully complying with New York City’s Sick and Safe Leave Act. However, according to Bloomberg Law, the company settled a wrongful termination lawsuit with New York City last month after an employee said she was illegally fired for using her sick leave.

Museum Store Favorites

Jessie Drossos
Posted: 4/14/2020

Happy Tuesday!  My name is Jessie Drossos and this is my first blog.  I am considered desk staff when the museums are open and would be working the front desk when you enter any of the downtown museums. I am not a student, but I am a semi-retired devotee of history. I have been a ghost tour guide for over 15 years (way before UWF took over the downtown museums). I absolutely love my job! I get to welcome people from all over the world. Literally I’ve meet people from England, Japan, Australia, France, Slovenia, Canada and, of course, from all over the United States. I get to share my love of history and Pensacola. I’m not a native though my dad is from one of the pioneer families of Santa Rosa County. I was originally born in Marietta, Georgia, but I married a native and absolutely think there isn’t a better place to be. I’m always surprised when “locals” come by and have never been to any of our museums. Hopefully, one of the “good” things that have come out of this time that we have had to slow down and stay home is more people will learn about the gem known as the “Historic Pensacola Village.   

Now the museums are not open right now, but I want to talk to you about our gift shops. We have gift shops in four of our museums: T.T. Wentworth, Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola Children’s Museum and Tivoli High House. These are great places to pick up some fun and different items. I want to tell you about two such items we have for sale.

The first one is one of my favorites.  As many of may not know, we are number one!  That’s right!  We were the first settlement in North American.  Tristian DeLuna landed here in 1559.  Now many of you may shake your heads and say wait, what about St. Augustine? Well yes, St. Augustine’s is considered to be the first “permanent settlement” in North America, but they weren’t the first settlement.  And we have an awesome t-shit that says just that. It’s says “1. Pensacola.  2. St. Augustine.” It is black and we have it in short sleeves or long sleeves.  

Now I love to read and love books. And we have some great books in our gift shops. One of the books is named “Lost in Heaven”. It is a book about James Polkinghorne, Jr.. Mr. Polknghorne grew up in Pensacola.  He was a bellhop at the famous San Carlos Hotel and graduated from B. T. Washington High School. He was attending college at Florida A & M when he enlisted n the army.  He was sent to Tuskegee where he became one of the famous Tuskegee Airman. His plane disappeared over Italy in 1944. He was 22 years old.  

The writer of the book, Leo Murphy, who also served as an instructor at NAS and has written books about naval aviation history in Pensacola was asked by an interviewer if he knew anything about the history of black aviators. He did recall seeing an old photograph and a 1944 story in the Pensacola News Journal with the headline, “Lost Negro Aviator Dead”. So Mr. Murphy began to research the story about James Polkinghorne who grew up on Reus Street. The story includes interviews with James’ sister, Maggie and will introduce to a very inspirational young man.   

Stay safe and hope to see you soon.

Archives File: Pensacola City Directories

Spenser Andrade
Posted: 4/13/2020


The Hilton-Green Research Room is a dedicated space for guests, students, and volunteers to research. Many researchers visit inquiring about the history of their property or an ancestor that lived in Pensacola. The research area has several computers with access to subscription-based web services such as Ancestry, GenealogyBank, and Newspapers.com. These services offer easy access to census data, grave locations, military documents, newspapers, passenger lists, and other records in the public domain. 

However, a fantastic physical resource available for researchers is the archive’s collection of city directories. These directories are a valuable resource and provide a great starting point for researchers.

A few volumes from the Pensacola City Directory collection

Located on a bookshelf just behind the assistant archivist’s desk and continuing into the library section, the Hilton-Green Research Room has a collection of city directories ranging from 1885 to 2005. The city directories can be interpreted as a published time capsule. The numerous yearly editions capture the evolution, growth, and movement of businesses, institutions, residents, and streets inside Pensacola’s city limits. 

Information about each of these categories within the directories are presented in alphabetical order and typically listed by name, address, and occupation. Advertisements also saturate the pages of the directories. Full-page and border margin advertisements included promotions for local businesses, products, and services.

The cross-street reference from the 1924 Pensacola City Directory. Look closely and you can see that E. J. Miller lived at 311 Adams St., the address of one of the UWF Historic Trust’s historic homes: the Clara Barkley Dorr House.

Additionally, a useful cross-street reference guide can be found inside the directories, showing what businesses or residences were located on which side of the street. However, some of the older city directories may not include a cross-street reference section. 

Looking up E. J. Miller in the 1924 directory reveals he

worked as a seaman and his wife’s name was Mary.

While using collection items from the archives, do not forget that some of these pieces are over a century old. Some of the older directories have damaged, loose, or missing bindings, covers, and pages. Currently, we are in the process of scanning, printing, and binding older volumes of the city directories to better preserve the original copies. Nonetheless, while using the directories, be sure to have them laid down on a flat surface in the research area and refrain from flipping through the pages at a rapid pace. 

Museum guests interested in research can use their admission ticket to gain access to the city directories and the rest of the archive’s resources for up to seven days. UWF Historic Trust members and students have complimentary access to these resources.

The Museum of Commerce

Madeline Colón
Posted: 4/11/2020

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing okay while we are staying indoors and can rest at your home. This next post is all about another place I have loved to visit and hope you come by and check out once we get the clearance to open up. 

The Museum of Commerce is a great visual representation of old Pensacola. A reconstructed 1890’s street, you can walk around and see anything from that period. All kinds of shops are a part of this recreation such as a toy store, hardware shop, along with other stores as well. 

If you love to see old historical buildings, what were the shopping centers back then, or you want a visual representation for your children of what life was like, this is the place to go. This location is a self-guided museum included with your admission ticket, you can go in and walk around at your own pace during visitor hours. 

There is also a trolley car that you can go inside and check out as well, and it is a great spot to take pictures in the Historic Village. People also love this because it is in the middle of our village location  and is an easy walk to everywhere else that is included with your admission ticket. Does your family have someone that’s physically handicapped? There are sidewalks on both sides of the street to use to get to this museum.

As I mentioned previously, many of our venues and buildings can used as rental spaces for local events. If you have a wedding coming up or a formal dinner for your job, this place is a popular spot to host events. Check out our website historicpensacola.org if you want further information on this. 

Most museums have just one highlight to me, but this one is a big highlight of the Historic Trust overall. I would highly encourage you to stop by as soon as we reopen.

                

Alabama Museums and COVID-19

Skyler Browder
Posted: 4/9/2020

Museums across the U.S. are currently shut down just like we are here at the Historic Trust. Each museum has different ways of staying in contact with the public and keeping the public involved. Many of the museums are using Facebook to reach out to the general public, showing parts of their collections, sharing videos, and providing activities to either participate in or to use to educate the public. While I was doing my research, I noticed that some of my favorite museums and sites in Alabama are doing some great activities. 

The Alabama State Archives is asking for volunteers to transcribe old letters and documents that they have in their collection. Another thing that the Alabama Department of Archives and History has for the public is recorded public programs that are about the state’s history. The programs cover anything from music to the space program, from food to war. 

             

The History Museum of Mobile is asking the public to create its own history during the pandemic. The way that they are doing this is by asking for volunteers in the city of Mobile to submit emails, letters, texts, or social media posts to their collection. Another way they are asking for the public to participate is by asking people to mail in or keep a journal online to be made digital. 

The History Museum of Mobile has also recorded a guided tour of the exhibits they have in their museum and posted it online for the public to still be able to experience the museum in the fullest. 

Old Cahawba, Alabama’s first state capital, is now a ghost town in Central Alabama. The town was abandoned and is now an archeological site. During this trying time, they are posting pictures of some of the gravestones and explaining meanings behind the different symbols and emblems. The site is also working with the University of Alabama to create a 3D rendering of the site, showing what the once grand buildings of the city.  

A Hidden Rural Paradise

Alyssa Webb
Posted: 4/8/2020

In the spring of 2017, I was accepted as a student at the University of West Florida. Shortly after choosing my major and meeting with my adviser, I received an email about a part-time job opening at a museum in Milton. I have lived in Milton my entire life and had only been to this museum once, two years prior to becoming an Argo at UWF; I had actually forgotten that it existed! I decided to apply for the job, because the description mentioned that my work schedule would be planned around my class schedule and it seemed like a pretty interesting job, especially for a history major. Not long after I applied, the Museum Educator called me and we set up an interview.

I have always been extremely shy and reserved. I hated speaking to people I did not know, the thought of talking to a large group of people made me sick, and I really didn’t know how I would survive at a university where I would probably be required to give presentations. That being said, when tours and greeting guests was mentioned in the interview with the Museum Educator, my heart dropped to my stomach. I’m not sure what I expected or why that surprised me, but my brain went into panic mode at the thought of having to give a tour. Me? Talk to strangers? You’re kidding. But something pushed me to say yes when the job was offered. With my heart pounding so loud I thought for sure the Museum Educator could hear, I shook her hand and accepted.

About a week or so later, I began my first shift at Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site. I learned the opening and closing procedures, how to work a cash register, and the history of the site. My coworkers made each shift fun and they always gave me new and interesting tidbits of information. I genuinely enjoyed each shift and looked forward to being there again for the next one. Finally the day came that I had been both dreading and looking forward to… the day of my tour certification. I was excited and completely terrified at the same time! I had to give a tour to the Museum Educator. Seems simple enough right? Not to me. The only thought that kept going through my mind was, “She knows everything about the site! How can I possibly act like I’m giving a tour to someone who knows nothing?” I finished short of the requirements needed to pass, but the second time around (a couple weeks later) I passed!

From then on, my favorite times at Arcadia were when I was able to give someone a tour. I completely fell in love with it! Gone was the girl who hated speaking to people. Arcadia helped me open up and step out of my shell. I loved interacting with guests and sharing the history of the Arcadia Mill. I gained a confidence through working at Arcadia that I had never known before. Tours (especially school tours) allowed me the opportunity to learn and practice skills that I will need when I become a teacher. I developed skills that I had always dreamed of having.

Arcadia (which means “rural paradise” in Greek) has helped me in ways I had never imagined when I first applied for the job. I have grown so much in the almost three years that I have been there. I am so heartbroken over the trials we have had to endure lately, and I honestly cannot imagine Milton without Arcadia. The Mill has become a second home to me, a place I have grown to love, and I’m looking forward to being there again soon!

Trader Jon and his love for Pensacola

Madeline Colón
Posted: 4/7/2020

Trader Jon’s was a famous bar in Pensacola where military members, celebrities, and politicians came to have a good time. Although this was the name of the bar, this was also the nickname for an actual person! A native of Pensacola, his business was a staple and even attracted actors and actresses. 

Martin Weismann was born in 1915 and opened up this famous bar with his wife in 1953. He was famous for his mismatched socks he wore to work and his “Tradernomics.” Weismann trained as a paratrooper in WWII, so he had that connection to the local military men when they were training at the local Navy base. 

Even people who did not have enough money, Weismann would let you trade “memorabilia” such as pictures or posters in exchange for drinks. These exchanges are seen throughout the whole exhibit, from pictures to Navy relics. Weismann would end up with an approximate total of 10,000 collected items around the Bar by the time it closed.

Celebrities such as John Wayne and Elizabeth Taylor came to visit Trader Jon and left autographed photos that can be seen. Many presidents, as well, such as John Kennedy to George H.W. Bush, also came by. Even though this Bar has been closed officially since 1998, people who have lived in Pensacola still remember this iconic location. This place shut down shortly after the owner, Martin Weismann, had a stroke, and he passed away in 2000. 

The actual building where this was located is still around and is used as a place to rent for local events. But if you want to see what was on the inside, I would recommend going to the second floor of the Wentworth Museum. If you grew up in the Pensacola area, have a military family, or want to see old Hollywood photos, you will want to come to this exhibit. It is my favorite exhibit, and when I get scheduled in this museum, that is the exhibit, people would ask me about the most! I hope you come by and check this popular exhibit once we can open again.