Pensacola, the first in so many ways

In Pensacola, we don’t really like to brag. It’s un-Southern.

Nevertheless, every once in a while, it bears reminding that Pensacola was, in fact, the very first European settlement in what was to become the United States. On August 15, 1559, Spanish Conquistador Don Tristán de Luna led an 11-ship, 1,500 person expedition into Pensacola Bay.

Wait - you say - what about ...

John Smith at Jamestown? Old Cap’n Smith didn’t land in Virginia until 1607, and even then, the company only entailed a scant 104 souls. Got to love the English, though they are a delicate people.

The Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock? Nope. That wasn’t until 1620. Besides, those metal Spanish helmets are infinitely more cool than a buckle hat.

The Spanish at Saint Augustine? Alas, even that entourage – which landed in 1565 – was six years behind de Luna. If you find yourself in Saint Augustine, you may want to keep this very real fact to yourself. (And please, whatever you do, DON’T mention how much nicer our beaches are. They are “East Coast” touchy.)

So, yes, de Luna’s expedition was first. It brought not only Europeans to Pensacola, but also as many as 200 Africans, both slave and free, as well as natives from Mexico.

When the colonists arrived, they were met by a population of indigenous people. As a matter of fact, the Spanish encountered one tribe of local natives called the Penzacola – a Choctaw name which translates as "hair‑people," from pashi for "hair of the head" and oklah "people."

De Luna’s experiment survived for two years, but hurricanes and other difficulties ultimately sent the colonists back to an established outpost in Mexico. The explorer is immortalized today with a towering statue at Plaza de Luna in Downtown Pensacola. For the 450th anniversary of de Luna’s landing, in 2009, Spain’s King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain visited Pensacola to commemorate their nation’s unique relationship with our community.

In addition to being America’s First Settlement, Pensacola is historically first and in a class-of-its own in a number of respects, big and small. Here are some great examples of how Pensacola stands out and where you can go to see the places history was made:

First Christian Worship Service

Among the passengers on de Luna’s ships were five Dominican priests. The first Christian service – a Catholic mass – occurred on the day the colonists landed. Today, that service is commemorated with 10-foot cross atop a dune on Fort Pickens Road on Pensacola Beach. The cross was built in 1959 as part of the celebrations around the 400th anniversary of the Spanish arrival.

One of Florida’s Oldest Churches

What is today called Old Christ Church was built in 1832 and still stands in Downtown Pensacola. Built as an Episcopal congregation, the edifice has also served as a library and museum in its nearly 200 years. During the Civil War, the building was occupied by Union troops. Today, it is a museum and special events venue in the Pensacola Historic Village, an assemblage of historically important sites, museums, and programs.

Civil War Ruins

What is today called simply “The Chimney” along Scenic Highway in Pensacola is all that remains of the first major industrial belt on the Gulf Coast, a string of antebellum wood mills and brick factories. The structures were burned by retreating Confederate forces in 1862. The remaining brick column chimney served as part of the steam plant for the Hyer-Knowles Planing Mill.

First Jewish House of Worship in Florida

Temple Beth-El was established in 1876 by German Jews who migrated to the area to work in the lumber industry. It’s three successive buildings have stood at 800 North Palafox St. near downtown where the Reform congregation continues to meet today. The temple came to attract immigrants from Eastern Europe, Israel, and the Caucasus. In 1962, Pensacola native Paula Ackerman became the first woman anywhere in the United States to perform rabbinical functions when she filled in for a while until a fulltime rabbi could be hired.

‘Cradle of Naval Aviation:’ America’s first Naval Air Station

In 1914, the United States Navy sent a crew of officers to Pensacola to found the nation’s first Navy air training school. Pensacola Naval Air Station has played an integral part in the training of thousands of American and allied pilots over the last century. The history of the station and naval aviation are on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum, the Pensacola Lighthouse and Barrancas National Cemetery, all of which are located at Pensacola NAS.

Birthplace of first African American four-star Air Force general

Born on February 11, 1920, in Pensacola, General Daniel “Chappie” James was one of the legendary Tuskegee Airman of World War II; he also flew combat missions in Korea and Vietnam, and went on to be an Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense. In 1975, he became the first African American four-star Air Force general. A museum in James’ childhood home and a memorial are located at 1606 Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr.

Civil Rights Demonstration Site

Like many American communities in the 1960s, Pensacola was a segregated town in the midst of change. For 707 days, African Americans protested segregation at the Woolworth’s department store lunch counter and other businesses in Downtown Pensacola with sit-ins, pickets, marches, and a selective buying/boycotting campaign. The effort marked its success on March 12, 1962, when Pensacola integrated its lunch counters. A historic marker commemorating the lunch counter protests stands on Palafox Place in downtown in front of the former Woolworth’s building.

Seriously, though, don’t mention the first settlement thing in Saint Augustine. It’s a sore spot for them.

Author

Louis Cooper

Louis Cooper has lived in Northwest Florida since 1997 when work brought him here directly out of college. But he has since come to think of the Pensacola area as his home. He had a career at the Pensacola News Journal and the Northwest Florida Daily News covering local government, business and community. He currently works in freelance marketing and professional writing. He lives with his husband, Craig Webster, and their dogs, Angus and Riley, in Pensacola.