The Old Christ Church, constructed in 1832, is the oldest standing protestant church in the state of Florida. The church itself is constructed in the Norman Gothic Revival style, and is designed after Sir Christopher Wren's Old North Church in Boston Massachusetts. The story of Old Christ Church began in 1827 when the protestant citizens of Pensacola voted to create an Episcopal Church. Following this vote, Christ's Church of Pensacola was incorporated by Florida's territorial governor William Duval in1829.

The harsh realities of life in Pensacola are reflected in the floor of the church, marking the site where three of the original Rectors were buried after dying of various diseases at young ages. During the Civil War, the building was used by Union troops as a field hospital and a prisoner of war detainment area.

After the church's congregation relocated to its current location in 1903, the building began to fall into disrepair. In the early 1930s the Pensacola city council voted to acquire the property and use it as Pensacola's first public library. From the 1950s until the 1990s, the Pensacola Historical Society used the building as its headquarters and museum.

Beginning in the late 1990s the citizens of Pensacola, led by the Reverend B. Madison Currin, Rector of Christ Church, raised almost $800,000.00 to have the church restored to its appearance during the height of its use in the late Victorian Period.

This wonderfully preserved structure is living testimony to the pride and efforts Pensacola residents take in preserving their one-of-a-kind history.

This podcast made possible through the generous support of the UWF Historic Trust. Script written by Tim Roberts. Narrated by Steve Tordorici.

Credits and Sources:

Photographs from the University of West Florida Historic Trust