Ferdinand Plaza

Plaza Ferdinand VII, located on Palafox and South Jefferson Streets, dates back to Pensacola's Spanish and Britsh periods during the 18th and 19th centuries. Pensacola's final colonial settlement, founded in 1752, was geographically centered between Plaza Ferdinand and Seville square to the East.

The square initially served as the parade grounds for the Spanish fort, San Miguel, located in the center of the town of Pensacola, and passed into British control during their occupation of Pensacola between 1763 and 1781.

After the signing of the Adams-Onis Treaty in 1819, Plaza Ferdinand served as the official grounds for the ceremony whereby Spain officially transferred control of Florida to the United States.

The city of Pensacola erected a bronze bust of President Andrew Jackson in the southern portion of the square as a memorial to this historic event.

During the early American period, the Plaza saw little official use and became a livestock grazing area for many of Pensacola's residents. By 1898, the city succeeded in raising the necessary funds to renovate the plaza for use as a public park. Improvements included construction of a ballast rock wall, cement sidewalks, a memorial obelisk commemorating local railroad tycoon and city benefactor, William D. Chipley, and an innovative wrought-iron, electric-powered fountain.

In 1960, city officials successfully nominated the plaza as a National Historic Landmark, officially recognizing the site's significance to early American expansion.

Archaeological excavations conducted between the 1960s and 1990s also uncovered many colonial period artifacts dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, including portions of the original fort located adjacent to the park.

Plaza Ferdinand VII, embodies both the colonial heritage and modern growth of Pensacola, and is still recognized by citizens to be a significant portion of the downtown landscape.

All documents and photographs are courtesy of the UWF Historic Trust. Narrative written by Caitlin Herzog, Public History Graduate Student, University of West Florida.