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.  
 
John J. Clune Jr., professor of history at the University of West Florida, is the author of Cuban Convents in the Age of Enlightened Reform, 1761–1807. Margo S. Stringfield is an archaeologist and research associate at the University of West Florida Archaeology Institute.   A volume in the series Colonial Towns and Cities of the Atlantic World, edited by John J. Clune Jr. and Gregory Waselkov
 

Sample Chapter(s):

Excerpt

Table of Contents

Awards
Charlton Tebeau Book Award (Florida Historical Society) - 2010

"Clune and Stringfield have done a fine job in delivering what should be a lasting popular history of this historic city."
--Pensacola News-Journal

"An attractive, readable, and affordable book that distills the basics of colonial Pensacola with an engaging and colorful text. It is a volume that will appeal to both neophytes and experts. What a wonderful book to highlight the 450th celebration of Florida's historic city of Pensacola."
--The Florida Historical Quarterly

Offers a tantalizing glimpse into the history of the city between 1559 and 1821. . . . An important introduction to those who are interested in the history and archaeology of colonial Pensacola, colonial Florida, and the colonial Southeast’s place in the larger Atlantic world, as well as those individuals who are merely curious about the city’s vibrant past.
--Southeastern Archaeology

An impressive synthesis of decades of historical and archaeological research. . . . An outstanding contribution that truly celebrates the history of this unique colonial city.
--Historical Archaeology