Charles Sumner School

The Charles Sumner School was constructed in 1872 and designed by Washington architect Adolph Cluss. Named for US Senator Charles Sumner, a major figure in the fight for abolition of slavery and the establishment of equal rights for African Americans, ...

Cedar Hill – Home of Frederick Douglass

Slavery and Escape

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in February 1818. He had a difficult family life. ...

LINCOLN MEMORIAL

LINCOLN MEMORIAL

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated just after the end of the Civil War on April 14, 1865. By March of 1867, Congress incorporated the Lincoln Monument Association to build a memorial to the slain 16th President.

Abraham Lincoln, the ...

Blagden Alley

Blagden Alley

Blagden Alley is a historic district defined by middle-class residences, churches and small apartment buildings which display a rich variety of Victorian architectural styles dating from the 1860s to the 1890s. In the interior of each block are ...

Archaeology in a Maritime Community

Pensacola Bay has been a valuable resource for populations from prehistoric to modern times. The relationship between these people and their environment is often reflected in archaeological sites submerged beneath local waters. In addition to many shipwrecks, other archaeological sites ...

Defending a Coastal Colony

If you flew over Pensacola Bay, you would see that it has many natural forms of protection. Sandy barrier islands defend the narrow entrance into the bay and rolling hills provide excellent vantage points to watch ships arrive. The many ...

Developing the Port of Pensacola

When the Spanish arrived in Pensacola Bay in 1559 and again in 1698, they praised the area’s natural resources: the deep-water bay provided a safe harbor for large ships, rivers supplied fresh water, large forests offered a reliable source of ...

Spanish Exploration and Discovery

Early Spanish explorers quickly recognized the importance of Pensacola and its waterways. Remnants of conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez’s expedition sighted Pensacola Bay as early as 1528. In 1539 and Discovery and 1540, Francisco de Maldonado waited in the Bay to ...

The Cornwallis Cave

The Cornwallis Cave.

Cornwallis “cave,” a cavern created by stone quarrying for building material, was once believed to be the “grotto” into which British General Cornwallis retreated to avoid bombardment during the Revolutionary War battle. Subsequent research suggested this is ...