West Florida History Center

08/26/2026

In 1762, The American Gazetteer was published in London and at this time, the end of the French and Indian Wars, it became the 'go to' book for information on the New World with descriptions of maps and charts and engravings of American cities (included Florida) and descriptions of animals, geography, etc. From our Italian copy (published in 1763) we present the Armadillo.

08/04/2026

Hey! We found the map!!

07/04/2026

https://www.wuwf.org/local-news/2026-07-03/uwf-libraries-in-pensacola-receives-rare-book-linked-to-declaration-of-independence-signer

A George Walton signature inside a centuries-old book links the Revolutionary era to Pensacola’s territorial past and the story of how Florida became part of the nation.

06/18/2026

Path to Pensacola in 1776. Original borders of West Florida by treaty and then extended by Royal Order (e.g. what did West Florida look like in 1776)

06/18/2026

Path to Pensacola in 1776 -- What did region look like in Romans' map of 1776.

05/18/2026

In celebration of the 250th American anniversary, we have loaned one of our special items, the logbook of H.M.S. Mentor to the Historic Trust where it appears in their new exhibit. The manuscript log book of the British ship H.M.S. Mentor covers March 9, 1780 to May 17, 1781, and was kept by Captain Robert Deans. The 20-gun vessel was stationed in Pensacola waters for several months preceding the Spanish invasion in 1781. Entries include mention of the arrival of Galvez's forces, notes on the scuttling of the ship, participation of the crew in the land siege (Siege of Pensacola) and an account of the capitulation of British forces at Fort George, May 9, 1781. Includes 'house book' of Eliza Deans with recipes at the end of the book, 1787. The book was transcribed and heavily resxearched in James A. Servies THE LOG OF H.M.S. Mentor published in 1981 by University Press of Florida

04/28/2026

A recent story in the Pensacola News Journal reminded us of this photo from 1925/1926 of the proposed hotel on Perdido Key referred to in Tom McLaughlin's article.https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/perdido-gulf-shores/2026/04/27/perdido-key-beach-front-hotel-development-an-island-first/89706080007/?tbref=hp

04/02/2026

Happy Easter (postcards from our collections)