Timeline of Pensacola history
1500's
1515 -- Ponce de Leon 'discovered' Florida
1516 -- Miruelos MAY have entered Pensacola Bay
1525 -- Panfilo de Narveaz explored Florida
1539 -- Hernando de Soto explored Florida
1559 -- 06/11/1559 - Members of Luna's expedition embarked at Vera Cruz, Mexico, for their journey to establish Pensacola
1559 -- 08/14/1559 - Luna's expedition entered Pensacola Bay
1559 -- 08/19/1559 - A hurricane struck Pensacola Bay, virtually destroying Luna's fleet
1561 -- 03/16/1561 - Villafane arriveed at Pensacola for relief for Luna's expedition after the hurricane of 1559
1561 -- 04/09/1561 - Villifane became the governor of Florida
1565 -- St. Augustine, on Florida's East Coast, was founded by the Spanish
1600's
1682 -- 04/06/1682 - La Salle claimed Louisiana for France
1684 -- Sieur de la Salle descended the Mississippi River an made a failed attempt to establish a colony near the mouth of the Mississippi
1686 -- 02/06/1686 - An expedition under the command of Juan Enriques Barroto (Juan Jordan Reina) entered Pensacola Bay
1692 -- 06/26/1892 - Conde de Galve, viceroy of Mexico, was given instructions by the Spanish King to explore the gulf coast
1693 -- 04/07/1693 - Admiral Andres de Pez's expedition entered Pensacola Bay
1694 -- 06/13/1694 - The King of Spain (Charles II??) gave the go ahead to settle Pensacola
1698 -- 11/06/1698 - An expedition under Juan Jordan de Reina sailed from Havana, Cuba, to settle Pensacola
1698 -- 11/17/1698 - An expedition under the command of Juan Jordan Reina arrived at Pensacola
1698 -- 11/21/1698 - An expedition under the command of Andres de Arriola, arrived in Pensacola from Vera Cruz, Mexico
1700's
1702 -- French, under d'Iberville, founded Mobile, Biloxi, and Dauphin Island
1702 -- Spanish settlers at Pensacola suffered a severe epidemic, probably Yellow Fever
1704 -- Pensacola received its first women settlers
1707 -- Creek Indians, under the urging of the British, attacked and burned Spanish Pensacola
1707 -- Creek Indians laid siege to Fort San Carlos at Pensacola, but withdrew
1719 -- Spanish recaptured Pensacola
1719 -- 05/13/1719 - French from Mobile sailed to Pensacola in an attempt to capture the town
1719 -- 05/16/1719 - The French Fleet, under Jean Baptiste Le Moyne and his brother Sieur de Bienville, entered Pensacola Bay, fired on Fort San Carlos, and captured the Pensacola
1719 -- 09/18/1719 - French recaptured Pensacola
1720 -- France and Spain make peace.
1722 -- France burns Pensacola in a scorched earth policy. Spanish secure return of Pensacola from France and reoccupy, November 25. Spaniards build on Santa Rosa Island - the "Second Pensacola."
1723 -- Spanish built a village on Santa Rosa Island
1723 -- French left Pensacola
1743 -- The first timber export left Pensacola by the Havana Company
1753-1763 -- Spanish garrisoned at Pensacola
1754 -- Hurricane destroys the village of Pensacola on Santa Rosa Island. Survivors move to the mainland.
1757 -- 12/23/1757 - King Ferdinand VI(I?) issues royal orders naming settlement near San Miguel mission (near today's Seville Square), 'Presidio San Miqual de Panzacola' or Panzacola - the "Third Pensacola."
1760 -- A Hurricane struck Pensacola
1763 -- Spanish left Pensacola as a result of the Treaty of Ghent, which gave Florida to the British
1763 -- 02/10/1763 - The Spanish and British signed the Treaty of Paris, resulting in Spain ceding Florida to the British
1763 -- 07/10/1763 - Colonel Augustine Prevost sailed from Havana, Cuba with 4 ships & 350 men on their way to accept the transfer of Florida from Spain to Great Britain
1763 -- 08/05/1763 - Lieutenant Colonel Augustine Prevost arrived in Pensacola with 350 men to accept the transfer of Florida from Spain to Great Britian
1763 -- 08/06/1763 - Lieutenant Colonel Augustin Prevost and troops took command of Pensacola for the British
1763 -- 09/03/1763 - The Spanish left Pensacola
1764 -- First meeting of West Florida Council, November. Began by declaring all titles purchased from departing Spaniards void. Surveyor, Elias Durnford, prepares a plan for the city. Divides town into building and garden lots with the dviding line being present day Garden Street
1764 -- 10/21/1764 - George Johnstone arrived in Pensacola as West Florida's first British governor
1764 -- 11/24/1764 - The first council was convened by the British in Pensacola
1767 -- George Johnstone relieved as governor of West Florida and succeeded by Monfort Browne
1769 -- John Eliot arrived in Pensacola as the new governor
1769 -- 05/02/1769 - John Eliot, governor of West Florida, hanged himself
1769 -- 07/31/1769 - Elias Durnford named Lieutenant Governor as acting governor
1770 -- Peter Chester arrived in Pensacola as the new British governor
1770 -- Bernardo de Galvez appointed governor of Spanish Louisiana
1770 -- 08/10/1770 - Peter Chester arrived in Pensacola as governor of West Florida
1773-1774 -- Botanist William Bartram explores Florida across what is now known as the Batram Trail
1774 -- 10/24/1774 - Continental Congress wrote to the Assembly in Pensacola, but was suppressed by Governor Chester
1775-1783 -- Revolutionary War, Florida remains loyal to England
1777 -- 01/01/1777 - Don Bernardo Galvez became the acting Governor of Louisiana
1779 -- 06/21/1779 - Spain declared war on England (implications for Florida)
1780 -- Elias Durnford surrendered Mobile to Galvez
1780 -- 01/28/1780 - Bernardo de Galvez sailed from New Orleans in an abortive attempt to capture Pensacola
1781 -- The land that St. Michaels Cemetery occupies was designated a burying place.
1781 -- 02/28/1781 - Bernardo de Galvez sailed again from New Orleans with an invasion force headed for Pensacola
1781 -- 03/09/1781 - Bernardo de Galvez entered Pensacola Bay and lays siege to the British
1781 -- 05/07/1781 - Bernardo de Galvez began his siege of the British Fort George, located just north of Pensacola
1781 -- 05/08/1781 - British General John Campbell surrendered Pensacola to Bernardo de Galvez after a shot from the Spanish cannon (mortar) destroys the British powder magazine
1781 -- 05/09/1781 - British soldiers left their fort at Pensacola, officially ending the British presence in Florida
1783 -- Florida given to Spain by England in exchange for Bahamas and Gibraltar. Most British settlers leave.
1784 -- Spanish census of Pensacola. Population = 593 persons
1785 -- Panton, Leslie & John Forbes & Co. Trading Post in Pensacola is established
1792 -- Francisco Moreno was born in Pensacola
1794 -- 08/10/1794 - Jackson Morton was born
1795 -- Spain yields its claim to the northern part of West Florida . The United States and Spain signed the Pickney Treaty establishing the borders between the United States and Spanish Florida
1798 -- William H. Chase was born in Massachusetts
1800's
1801 -- William Panton, co-owner of Panton-Leslie & Company, died at sea
1804 -- The Panton-Leslie & Company changed its name to John Forbes & Company
1807 -- The Inneraity family assumed control of John Forbes & Company
1808 -- Thomas William Brent was Born in Washington DC
1812 -- Stephen Russell Mallory, future US Senator and Confederate Secretary of the Navy, was born in Trinidad
1813 -- General James Wilkinson and troops captured Mobile
1813 -- 08/30/1813 - Fort Mims Massacre
1814 -- 03/27/1814 - Andrew Jackson and his Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend
1814 -- 11/14/1814 - Jackson captured Pensacola for the first time
1815 -- 06/20/1815 - Angela Moreno (later Angela Moreno Mallory) is born
1816 -- 08/14/1816 - John Innerarity writes James Innerarity that they expect an attack on Pensacola real soon
1818 -- Andrew Jackson captured St Marks
1818 -- Andrew Jackson captured Pensacola again
1819 -- 02/22/1819 - Spain and the United States signed the Adams-Onis Treaty, giving the United States possession of Florida
1821 -- Andrew Jackson leaves Pensacola
1821 -- 03/12/1821 - Andrew Jackson was given a commission by President James Monroe to oversee the transfer of Florida to the United States and became Florida's first American governor
1821 -- 07/17/1821 - The United States officially assumed control of Florida in a flag-exchange ceremony at Pensacola
1821 -- 07/17/1821 - Jose Cavalla, Spanish governor of Florida, officially turned over Florida to Andrew Jackson, representing the United States
1821 -- 08/18/1821 - The Floridian Newspaper, published by George Tunstall and Cary Nicholas, issued its first edition
1821 -- 10/03/1821 - A farewell party was given in honor of Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel at Austin's Tavern
1822 -- Yellow Fever epidemic in Pensacola (forced the 1st Legislative council to move elsewhere) 237 people died
1822 -- Florida's first legislative council convened in Pensacola
1822 -- 07/22/1822 - The 1st session of Florida's legislative council convened in Pensacola
1822 -- 08/13/1822 - The Pensacola Board of Health reported yellow fever was present in Pensacola, which eventually killed 237 people
1824 -- 05/16/1824 - Edmund Kirby Smith, future Confederate General, was born in St. Augustine, Florida
1825 -- Paul Rosasco, father of Albert T. and William Sebastian, was born in Genoa, Italy
1825 -- 11/04/1825 - A three-person board consisting of James Biddle, Lewis Warrington, and William Bainbridge, recommended the construction of a Navy Yard at Pensacola
1826 -- 04/20/1826 - Commodore Lewis Warrington, United States Navy, assumed command of the Pensacola Navy Yard
1826 -- 10/27/1826 - Warrington's last day as commandant of the Pensacola Navy Yard
1826 -- 11/08/1826 - The navy issued its first contract to area businessmen for lumber to be used in the construction of the navy yard
1827 -- The Naval Live Oaks Reservation was established on land previously owned by Henry M. Breckenridge
1827 -- 03/14/1827 - A labor strike commenced in Pensacola
1828 -- the towns of Warrington and Woolsey were constructed for the workmen who are working at the Pensacola Navy Yard
1830 -- 12/09/1830 - Joseph Forsyth transferred half his land holdings to Andrew and Ezekiel Simpson, and together the three men built a lumber mill
1831 -- Bank of Pensacola chartered
1832 -- Old Christ Church is Built in downtown Pensacola
1833 -- The first bank in Pensacola is organized
1834 -- Construction of Fort Pickens concluded
1837 -- Bank Panic hit Pensacola
1838 -- Stephen Russell Mallory married Angela Moreno, daughter of Francisco Moreno
1839 -- Construction of Fort Barrancas began
1843 -- Construction on Fort McRee commenced
1844 -- Construction of Fort Barrancas concluded
1845 -- 03/03/1845 -- Florida entered the Union as a State
1849 -- 03/04/1849 - Jackson Morton took his seat as a Whig in the United States Senate
1850 -- Stephen Russell Mallory was elected to the United States Senate
1851 -- 5/06/1851 - Dr. John Gorrie patented his ice-making machine
1852 -- Yellow Fever hit the Pensacola Area
1853 -- Yellow Fever epidemic struck Pensacola again
1855 -- Joseph Forsyth Died and his mill changed its name to Simpson & Company
1855 -- 03/03/1855 - Jackson Morton resigned his seat in the United States Senate
1856 -- 05/16/1856 - Construction began on the Alabama & Florida Railroad between Pensacola and Montgomery, Alabama
1856 -- 10/30/1856 - Major William H. Chase, who supervised the construction of the local forts, retired from military service
1857-1859 -- The USS Pensacola and USS Seminole were constructed at Pensacola
1858 -- 01/01/1858 - The Pensacola Lighthouse went into operation
1859 -- 06/25/1859 - The USS Seminole, built in Pensacola, was launched
1861 -- 01/05/1861 - Florida's secession Convention convened in Tallahassee
1861 -- 01/06/1861 - State troops seized the Federal arsenal at Apalachicola
1861 -- 1/07/1861 - State troops seized Fort Marion at St. Augustine
1861 -- 01/07/1861 - Slemmer met with the command of the Navy Yard as to what action should be taken in case local citizens and/or militia tried to take possession of the Yard, or any of the forts
1861 -- 01/10/1861 - Florida seceded from the Union
1861 -- 01/10/1861 - Adam Slemmer transferred his small artillery force from Fort Barrancas to Fort Pickens
1861 -- 01/12/1861 - State officials demanded the surrender of Fort Pickens
1861 -- 01/12/1861 - Troops from Alabama and Florida occupied the Pensacola Navy Yard
1861 -- 01/12/1861 - State troops seized the Pensacola Navy Yard, Fort McRee, Fort Barrancas, and Barrancas Barracks
1861 -- 01/15/1861 - State officials (Col. Chase) again demanded Fort Pickens surrender
1861 -- 01/18/1861 - State Officials for a third time demanded the surrender of Fort Pickens
1861 -- 02/06/1861 - The USS Brooklyn arrived of Fort Pickens with reinforcements
1861 -- 3/11/1861 - General Braxton Bragg arrived in Pensacola and assumes command of all Confederate forces
1861 -- 04/12/1861 - Confederate Forces extinguished the Pensacola Lighthouse
1861 -- 04/12/1861 - US Troops aboard the USS Brooklyn landed and reinforced US Artillery troops at Fort Pickens
1861 -- 04/19/1861 - General Braxton Bragg declared marshal law in Pensacola
1861 -- 04/19/1861 - President Abraham Lincoln issued orders that all Southern Ports be blockaded
1861 -- 09/02/1861 - US Navy boats destroyed the Pensacola Navy Yard
1861 -- 09/14/1861 - Union troops from Fort Pickens boarded and set fire to the Confederate ship Judah
1861 -- 10/09/1861 - Battle of Santa Rosa Island
1861 -- 11/22/1861 - Artillery Duel between Fort Pickens and Confederate Batteries
1862 -- Confederates burned the mills and many of the homes around the Bagdad area as they abandoned Pensacola and the surrounding area
1862 -- 01/01/1862 - Artillery duel between Confederates and Union
1862 -- 05/09/1862 - Confederate Forces evacuate Pensacola
1862 -- 05/10/1862 - Acting Mayor Broshaham surrendered Pensacola to Union officials after the Confederates evacuated the town
1868 -- Reconstruction in Florida ended
1868 -- 03/28/1868 - The Pensacola & Louisville Railroad bought the Alabama & Florida Railroad, which had gone bankrupted after the Civil War, for $55,000
1870 -- The Railroad finally connected Pensacola to the outside world
1872 -- Public school system established in Pensacola
1873 -- 11/09/1873 - Stephen R. Mallory died
1874 -- 11/20/1874 - Jackson Morton Died
1876 -- 10/01/1876 - Francis C. Brent and Louis P. Knowles founded the banking firm of Knowles & Brent
1880 -- 02/27/1880 - Louisville & Nashville RR bought the Pensacola Railroad
1880s -- Pensacola Gas Company founded
1881 -- 06/01/1881 - Construction on the Pensacola & Atlantic Railroad began
1881 -- 08/22/1881 - Construction began on railroad bridges over Pensacola Bay and the Choctahatchee and Apalachicola Rivers
1882 -- The Tarragona Street Depot was destroyed by fire
1882 -- Francisco Moreno died
1882 -- 08/15/1882 - The first passengers took a ride on the Pensacola & Atlantic RR
1882 -- 08/15/1882 - The first train carrying passengers crossed the railroad bridge over Pensacola Bay
1883 -- 04/11/1883 - The Pensacola & Atlantic Railroad was completed between Pensacola and Jacksonville
1885 -- 05/20/1885 - Milton's business district burned. Fire may have started in the Mayer Bros store
1886 -- St Michael's Catholic Church was built
1886 -- Geronimo was brought to Pensacola as a prisoner
1888 -- A Presbyterian Church was built on Chase Street by Turner Construction Company
1888 -- Electric power company went online
1889 -- F. C. Brent helped organize the Chamber of Commerce in Pensacola
1889 -- 09/16/1889 - The Pensacola Chamber of Commerce met for the first time (organized) and Chipley became the 1st president
1890 -- Horse drawn streetcar system became operational
1890s -- Fires swept through Pensacola
1892 -- John A. Merritt married the daughter of R. H. Turner
1892 -- 01/23/1892 - The First National Bank of Pensacola and the Brent's Bank merged
1895 -- Young Men's Business League of Pensacola founded
1897 -- Temple Beth-El built on Chase Street
1898 -- Spanish-American war erupted
1898 -- 03/21/1898 - Pensacola Electric Railway Company went into operation
1899 -- 6/20/1899 - Gun Powder at Fort Pickens exploded, destroying an entire bastion
1900's
1900 -- Baars, Dunwoody & Company established
1900 -- St. Anthony's Hospital established
1900 -- Pensacola Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company established
1900 -- American National Bank established
1902 -- Pensacola established its first streetcar system
1902 -- Pensacola navy yard received a dry dock
1904 -- William, Albert, and Peter Rosasco bought the Bay Point Mill Company
1905 -- fires destroys much of downtown Pensacola
1905 -- 01/01/1905 - F. C. Brent retired as the president of the First National Bank
1905 -- 10/31/1905 - Fire erupted in downtown Pensacola destroying the Brent Block which included the Brent and Blount buildings
1906 -- A Hurricane hit Pensacola
1906 -- Dry dock at the Pensacola Navy Yard destroyed by a hurricane
1911 -- 10/20/1911 - The United States Government closed the Pensacola Navy Yard
1913 -- 11/17/1913 - FDR arrived in Pensacola to announce plans to create a Naval Air Station at Pensacola
1914 -- 11/01/1914 - The firm of Crow, Rudolf & Company in Liverpool, England, went bankrupted. The First National Bank of Pensacola had put a lot of money into the company and lost a lot when it when belly up. It caused an economic depression in Pensacola.
1914 -- 01/20/1914 - The first naval flight school was established at the Pensacola Navy Yard
1916 -- A Hurricane hit NW Florida
1916 -- The Newport Company, a naval stores industry, was established in Pensacola
1917 -- A Hurricane hit Pensacola, destroying the Pensacola Opera House
1918 -- A Flu Epidemic struck Pensacola
1921 -- The Newport company closed
1926 -- WCOA AM radio went on the air
1926 -- A hurricane hit Pensacola
1929 -- The Stock Market Crashed
1939 -- 01/24/1939 - A post office was established in Gulf Breeze
1941 -- 12/07/1941 - The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, bringing the United States into World War II
1961 -- 08/10/1961 - Gulf Breeze's first mayor and city council were officially sworn into office
1961 -- 08/17/1961 - The Gulf Breeze City Council held its first official meeting
1995 -- 10/05/1995 - Hurricane Opal hit Pensacola
