The T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum is one of Pensacola's most iconic buildings and one of America's most unique museums. Built in the popular Italian Renaissance style--characterized by wide overhanging eaves, decorative brackets, clay tile roofs, and classical arched porches--the structure served as city hall from 1907 to 1985 and since 1988 as the T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum.

It is named for Theodore Thomas Wentworth, Jr., a larger than life figure who donated more than 200,000 artifacts from his roadside museum to the care of the local state preservation board, today the University of West Florida Historic Trust.

Located on historic Ferdinand Plaza, the museum sits atop a site of Native American, British, and Spanish occupation. Directly in front and behind the museum are stops on the Colonial Archaeology Trail, where visitors can see the remains of an eighteenth-century British fort. But the real treat is inside the museum, where interactive exhibits engage visitors of all ages in more than 450 years of Pensacola's history and archaeology.

This podcast made possible through the generous support of the UWF Historic Trust. Script written by Amber Sherouse and Barbara Stefani. Narrated by Dave Dunwoody.

Credits and Sources:

Florida Division of Historic Resources

Photographs from the University of West Florida Historic Trust