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.