A brief Overview of Pensacola's History

Pensacola (originally called Panzacola, from the Panzacola Indians) was discovered as early as 1516 by Don Diego Miruelo. It was not until 1559 that Don Tristan de Luna of Spain and 1400-1500 others came to Pensacola to establish a new settlement. It is presumed to be the first European settlement in the United States. Their stay lasted only a couple of years, as they were forced to leave due to a horrible hurricane.

In 1698, Don Andres de Ariola and 350 Spanish soldiers became the second generation of visitors to colonize Pensacola. During their stay, they succeeded in constructing the first permanent post and fort at the present day Naval Air Station on Pensacola Bay. The Spaniards built a second fort in 1719 near present Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island. The French took control of it soon after and then lost Pensacola to the Spanish in 1722.

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After the Spaniards regained control of the area, they decided to move their settlement to nearby Santa Rosa Island where it could be better defended. Unfortunately, a hurricane wiped out the colony and Spain abandoned further attempts to settle it. A small stockade, erected in 1752 near Historic Pensacola Village, is one of the few remaining souvenirs of that turbulent time.

In 1763, Spain ceded the area to the British as part of Treaty of Paris. The British stayed 18 years (1763-1781), and added what could be described as the area's first amenities---mapped streets of today's Pensacola Historic District, gardens and a public water well---before Spain recaptured Florida in 1781.

In 1821, Pensacola became part of the United States and Andrew Jackson became the first territorial governor of the new territory.

Then came the Civil War, 40 years later, when the city was involved in a standoff between Union and Confederate soldiers. Like much of the South, Pensacola ended up being divided ----with the Yankees holding Fort Pickens and the Rebels controlling Fort McRee. But Confederate forces evacuated the city in 1862 and many residents fled. An industrial boom of lumber, shipping, and fishing in the 1870's, brought these residents, Northerners and freed slaves, back and provided much needed fuel for the city's growth. And so, five different flags have flown over Pensacola: the Spanish, the French, the British, the Confederate and the American flags. That is how Pensacola has become nicknamed "The City of Five Flags".

In 1886, Fort Pickens became the unlikely site for the area's first tourist attraction when it held Geronimo and other Apache warriors prisoner there. Countless sightseers cruised the waters around the fort in hopes of glimpsing the aging warriors.

With the struggles of the early settlers including hurricanes and yellow fever and the battles that were fought through the centuries, Pensacola is rich with history and artifacts.

Historical Links

Pensacola Maritime History  Pensacola Civil War Society 

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