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Monday 8am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 4:30pm Friday 8am - 4:30pm

West Florida History Center

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Pensacola, FL
West Florida History Center

History of West Florida and the Florida Panhandle and promoting the collections of the University Archives and West Florida History Center, John C.

Pace Library, University of West Florida, Pensacola The University Archives and West Florida History Center holds 1.5 million research records including newspapers (1821-present), rare books, letters and manuscripts, photographs, audiotapes, maps, and other information resources for use in history, genealogy, environmental, and other types of research on the West Florida region.

05/18/2026

In celebration of the 250th American anniversary, we have loaned one of our special items, the logbook of H.M.S. Mentor to the Historic Trust where it appears in their new exhibit. The manuscript log book of the British ship H.M.S. Mentor covers March 9, 1780 to May 17, 1781, and was kept by Captain Robert Deans. The 20-gun vessel was stationed in Pensacola waters for several months preceding the Spanish invasion in 1781. Entries include mention of the arrival of Galvez's forces, notes on the scuttling of the ship, participation of the crew in the land siege (Siege of Pensacola) and an account of the capitulation of British forces at Fort George, May 9, 1781. Includes 'house book' of Eliza Deans with recipes at the end of the book, 1787. The book was transcribed and heavily resxearched in James A. Servies THE LOG OF H.M.S. Mentor published in 1981 by University Press of Florida

04/28/2026

A recent story in the Pensacola News Journal reminded us of this photo from 1925/1926 of the proposed hotel on Perdido Key referred to in Tom McLaughlin's article.https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/perdido-gulf-shores/2026/04/27/perdido-key-beach-front-hotel-development-an-island-first/89706080007/?tbref=hp

04/02/2026

Happy Easter (postcards from our collections)

03/23/2026

Our archivist has developed a new illustrated talk "Reflections on Pensacola in 1776" which he recently debuted to the Pensacola Historic Preservation Society at its March meeting. One of the fun facts was that in 1773, George Washington wrote to West Florida Governor Peter Chester in Pensacola that he was sending a man to help select a 5,000 acre farm and purchase an additional 5,000 acres. If not for the subsequent events of 1775 and 1776, George Washington might have lived in West Florida. (letter from the George Washington Papers, Library of Congress).

03/11/2026

Charles Pleas was a farmer in Chipley, Florida who moved there from Indiana. Around 1903, he became excited about a new ground-cover that grew fast, could feed livestock, and proceeded to market this plant, by sending/selling cuttings, by mail all over the South. Here is a photo of his Kudzu Nursery at Chipley, Florida (from the Pleas Collection in our archives)

03/10/2026

WEDNESDAY: Join UWF Archivist Dean DeBolt online at Noon to uncover the incredible 1959 mission of Miss Baker, Pensacola's monkey who survived a journey into space!

Zoom information can be found on our library event calender:
libguides.uwf.edu/calendar

03/04/2026

From our Ray Malinowski studio collection comes this fantastic view of Alcaniz and Garden Street area, taken in 1966, showing the L.&N. Passenger station and area where the Civic Center and Grand Hotel were built.

02/16/2026

THIS WEEK! Join University Archivist Dean DeBolt online on Wednesday, February 18, at noon for Stories from the Archives: 1926 in Pensacola. Explore how the Escambia Bay Bridge and WCOA Radio modernized the region, and how the city's resilience shone after the hurricane of 1926.

Zoom details can be found at our library events calendar here:
libguides.uwf.edu/calendar

02/12/2026

It's also Valentines Day this week and so these lovely examples from our 19th century Valentines might brighten your day!

02/10/2026

Since Lincoln's birthday is this week, I thought I'd share this from our collections: Robert Todd Lincoln thanks Wallace Bruce for erecting a statue of his father, Abraham Lincoln, in Old Carlton Burying Ground, Edinburgh, Scotland. This is the first statue of an American President erected anywhere outside the United States. Bruce is the American Consul at the time, and President of the Florida Chautauqua, DeFuniak Springs, Florida. (from the Wallace Bruce Papers)

Address

John C. Pace Library, University Of West
Pensacola, FL
32514

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+18504742213

Website

http://libguides.uwf.edu/universityarchives

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