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.