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.