Winner of the Florida Historical Society Charlton Tebeau Book Award
“Describes the Panhandle city’s role as a crossroads where colonial European powers jostled for empire.”—Forum: The Magazine of the Florida Humanities Council
“We get not just a clear synopsis of the exploratory events leading to Tristan de Luna’s 1559 expedition, but also a succinct picture of the Old World empires clashing over settlement of the New World—and its hoped-for riches. . . . Clune and Stringfield have done a fine job in delivering what should be a lasting popular history of this historic city.”—Pensacola News-Journal
“A tantalizing glimpse into the history of the city between 1559 and 1821.”—Southeastern Archaeology
“Illustrations blend historic and archaeological discoveries into a visual window to the colonial world. . . . An attractive, readable, and affordable book that distills the basics of colonial Pensacola with an engaging and colorful text.”—Florida Historical Quarterly
“Provide[s] detailed information on settlers, settlements, and survival, as the city transformed from a Spanish garrison, to a French outpost, and to the capital of the British colony of West Florida. . . . An easy, informative, and fun read.”—Historical Archaeology
“Impressive. . . . The authors tell Pensacola’s story using both written and archaeological records to describe the colonists’ diets, entertainment, spiritual life, and mortality.”—H-Net
“A highly readable account of this remarkable city and its unique role in Southeastern history.”—Bonnie McEwan, coauthor of The Apalachee Indians and Mission San Luis
Pensacola was one of the earliest European settlement attempts in American history, and five flags have flown over the city since it was founded. Alternately abandoned and resettled, it served variously as a Spanish garrison, as a French outpost, and as the capital of the British colony of West Florida. It was the largest city in the state when Florida joined the United States in 1821 with Andrew Jackson presiding as provisional governor.
Historic Pensacola is an excellent introduction to “The City of Five Flags” for residents and visitors alike. Alongside historic illustrations and contemporary color photographs, John Clune and Margo Stringfield guide readers from Pensacola’s hardtack beginnings in 1559 to the city’s tremendous growth in the early nineteenth century. They provide a unique look into the daily lives of the people who endured hardship, disease, and hurricanes to settle the Gulf coast frontier. This is a highly readable account of a city with a rich and fascinating past.
A volume in the series Colonial Towns and Cities of the Atlantic World, edited by John J. Clune Jr. and Gregory Waselkov
