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Photo courtesy of the University Press of Florida.
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On assuming control of west Florida in 1763, British troops occupied the existing Spanish fort located in what is today the historic district of Pensacola. The fort was enlarged, expanded, and made more defensible with the addition of bastions and a dry moat. Parade grounds just outside the east and west walls provided both an area to exercise troops and a clear range of fire in case of attack. The fort was captured by Spanish General Bernardo de Galves in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War and Britain officially returned Florida to Spain in 1783. General Andrew Jackson took possession of the Florida Territory for the United States at a ceremony inside the fort in 1821. Over the years the fort disappeared as the city of Pensacola grew around it and its structures were demolished; the parade grounds now are the city parks of Seville Square and Plaza Ferdinand. Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of the Spanish, British, and Early American fort, including building foundations, hearths, trash pits, and wall trenches. Elements of the fort may be seen on the Colonial Archaeology Trail through Historic Pensacola Village.
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Find out more:
General Information:
Open Monday thru Saturday year round except holidays; admission fee includes museums, restored historic homes, and Colonial Archaeology Trail. Guided and self-guided tours, living history June thru August, special programs.Historic Pensacola Village,
120 East Church Street,
Pensacola, FL 32501,
(850) 595-5985.
University of West Florida
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