History Is Better Experienced
Throughout the year, the Pensacola Heritage Foundation brings local history to life through tours, celebrations, special programs and community gatherings. From exploring historic homes to commemorating the people and places that shaped Pensacola, our events offer new ways to experience the stories of our community.
Take a look at some of our recent events below.
Clark Family Cultural Center Tour
Pensacola Heritage Foundation members recently toured the Clark Family Cultural Center, home of Pensacola Little Theatre, for a behind-the-scenes look at the history of both the organization and its historic building.
Kathy Holsworth, Artistic Director/Interim Executive Director, led the group through the property and shared its evolution from county jail and courthouse to cultural center. Built in 1911, the building has been home to Pensacola Little Theatre since 1996.
Much of the building’s original character can still be seen today. The former open-air exercise yard retains its exposed brick and window openings, while the Blanchard Theatre, now a smaller performance venue, once served as a courtroom and judges’ chambers.
The upper floors are home to Ballet Pensacola and the Emerald Coast Writers’ Guild, and one of the building’s newest additions, the Rooftop Bar, offers views of Pensacola’s waterfront and bay.
PHF member Virginia Page, a member of the PLT Guild dating back to the theatre’s early days, added her own memories of Pensacola Little Theatre to the history shared by Holsworth.
Following the tour, many members gathered at Seville Quarter for lunch and conversation. PHF extends its thanks to Kathy and Virginia for sharing their knowledge, memories and a morning of Pensacola history.
PHF Hosts First Tour of Scenic Highway
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Pensacola Heritage Foundation members took to the road March 25 and 27 for the Foundation’s first tours of Scenic Highway, led by PHF board member Robin Rowan.
Aboard a GoRetro shuttle, attendees traveled the entire 11-mile corridor from the Bayou Texar bridge to the Santa Rosa Causeway, exploring the people, places and industries that shaped the area along the way.
Stops and stories included East Pensacola Heights, where Don Tristán de Luna and approximately 1,500 colonists arrived in 1559; historic Magnolia Bluffs Park, now Bay Bluffs Park; Gull Point; and the sawmills and brickyards that once played an important role in British Pensacola.
Following the success of the first two outings, PHF plans to offer additional Scenic Highway tours.
Galvez Project
In 2016, the Pensacola Heritage Foundation joined local heritage and history organizations in an effort to commemorate Bernardo de Gálvez and his pivotal role in Pensacola and the American Revolution.
On March 18, 1781, Gálvez led Spanish forces into the heavily defended Pensacola Bay and began an advance on the city’s British defenses. After weeks of siege, a Spanish mortar struck the powder magazine at the Queen’s Redoubt on May 8, devastating the fortification. Gálvez accepted the surrender of British Governor John Campbell and claimed West Florida for Spain.
The victory deprived Britain of an important Gulf Coast stronghold and aided the American colonists in their fight for independence. Gálvez was named a Great Floridian in 2012 and granted Honorary U.S. Citizenship by Congress in 2014 in recognition of his contributions to the Revolutionary War.
The resulting $450,000 monument, created by retired Navy Capt. Robert Rasmussen and his daughter Kathryn R. Vincze, depicts Gálvez on horseback, raising his hat in victory and facing the site of Fort George.
The statue was unveiled at the intersection of Wright and Palafox streets on May 8, 2018, as part of the Galvez Day celebration. Several hundred people attended the dedication, including Spanish dignitaries from Macharaviaya, Spain, Gálvez’s birthplace.
PHF Awarded George Washington Honor Medal
The Pensacola Heritage Foundation was honored with the George Washington Honor Medal on November 4, recognizing the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to preserving and sharing Pensacola’s history.
The award was presented by the Pensacola chapter of Founding Forward, a national organization that promotes civic engagement through educational experiences grounded in American history.
The citation recognized PHF as the area’s oldest historic preservation organization and highlighted its educational programs, community activities and popular Lecture Series, which regularly draws approximately 100 attendees. Through presentations by historians, professors, archaeologists and other experts, the series explores the people, events and cultures that have shaped Pensacola and its more than four centuries of history.
PHF was honored alongside several other local individuals and organizations for their contributions to education, community service and historic preservation.
Other local award recipient winners for 2025 include:
Petty Officer Reneau, USN for community service
Johnny Ardis, Open Books Prison Book Project
Sally Bergosh, Health and Hope Clinic
Mark Charles Goolsby, Educator Award
Kyle Kaye, 'Soctober' Changes Lives One Sock at a Time, School Award
Dr Donna Jacobi Pruett, Community Advocate - Family Promise Bed Race
Dianna Hayden and Dr Patty Crisp, Commemorating the Legacy of the USS Indianapolis
Cooper Nolen, Out of the Blue Denim
Pensacola Historic Preservation Society, Quina House Preservation
More information about Founding Forward can be found at foundingforward.org.
2026 Member Appreciation Dinner
The 2026 Member Appreciation Dinner got off to an unexpected start when board members and volunteers arrived at the Museum of Commerce to discover there was no reservation for the evening. Thanks to quick help from friends at the UWF Historic Trust, the doors were opened — and as members arrived, they immediately pitched in to help set up tables and chairs. Despite the surprise, dinner was served right on time.
The evening’s main focus was honoring longtime PHF member Jim Green for more than four decades of service to the Foundation. First elected to the Board of Directors in 1988, Jim has served multiple terms on the board and as president and has played a role in nearly every major PHF undertaking.
His contributions have included managing sound for Evenings in Olde Seville Square from its first concert through 2012, providing technical support for JazzFest and the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, assisting with events and maintenance at the Barkley House and managing PHF’s role in collecting and distributing funds for the Bernardo de Gálvez monument.
During dinner, guests enjoyed music selected by Mike Whetstone, featuring artists who have performed at JazzFest and the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. Past PHF board members and presidents Virginia Page, Billy Harrell, Claudine Kriss and David Richbourg also shared memories of working alongside Jim through the years.
To commemorate his extraordinary service, PHF member Leland Leonard handcrafted an inlaid mahogany keepsake box for Jim. The board also announced the creation of the Jim Green Award, which will recognize individuals who demonstrate exceptional service to the Pensacola Heritage Foundation over an extended period of time.
The evening concluded with a song written in Jim’s honor by Dr. Norm Haines — a fitting end to a celebration of a member whose steady presence, good humor and dedication have helped shape PHF for decades.
PHF Honors Junior Heritage Keepers
For the past several years, the Pensacola Heritage Foundation has recognized outstanding students participating in the Escambia County School District History Fair with its Junior Heritage Keeper Award and a $100 prize.
PHF judges select recipients based on the strength of their presentations across a variety of categories. Past Junior Heritage Keepers have gone on to earn first-place honors at the state level and place as high as third in national competition.
In 2026, PHF expanded the program from two awards to four Junior Heritage Keeper Awards, allowing the Foundation to recognize even more young historians for their work.
2026 Junior Heritage Keeper Award Recipients:
Damien Peaden SHP-5: Senior Historical Paper Revolution: How Inventions Created the Modern World
Jacob Ramsey SIP-1: Senior Individual Performance McCarthy and AntiCommunism: a Conversation Between Two Friends Also placed 1st in division for Escambia County.
Graeme Harrell SID-1: Senior Individual Documentaries If They Can Move Fruit, We Can Move Bodies
Damien Peaden SHP-5: Senior Historical Paper Revolution: How Inventions Created the Modern World
Tour of the Charles Hill Turner College
PHF members stepped inside the 1895 Charles Hill Turner Cottage, owned by Lisa and Tommi Lyter, for a closer look at the restoration of the historic home.
Contractor Nanette Chandler led the tour, sharing the techniques she and her crew used to renovate the cottage while restoring its historic character and former beauty.
Following the tour, members gathered for lunch at Seville Quarter.
North Hill Tour
On June 25, 2022, PHF members toured the 120-year-old historic home of Melanie Nichols and Jeff Dearth in Pensacola’s North Hill neighborhood.
Guests explored the home while enjoying refreshments and live piano music, offering members an opportunity to experience a piece of Pensacola’s architectural history in a more intimate setting.
The tour was part of PHF’s ongoing efforts to give members special access to the historic places that help tell Pensacola’s story.
Brick Street Tour
PHF members gathered for the Foundation’s first Brick Street Tour on January 8, 2022, exploring historic homes in Pensacola’s Old East Hill neighborhood.
Homeowners welcomed members inside and shared how they renovated their properties while preserving the historic character and architectural details that make the neighborhood unique.
Following the tour, members gathered for brunch at Nick’s Boathouse.
River Delta Adventure
PHF members ventured into the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta for a boat tour exploring the area’s natural beauty and complex history, including a visit to the final resting site of the Clotilda.
In 1860, more than 50 years after the United States outlawed the international slave trade, the Clotilda illegally brought enslaved Africans to the Mobile area. To conceal the crime, the ship was taken upriver, burned and sunk after the captives were brought ashore. PHF members had the opportunity to visit the site where the wreck remains submerged today.
Boat captain Chris Harris and Blakely State Park Ranger Brian Gilchrist guided members through the delta, sharing its wildlife and history along the way. The tour also explored Historic Blakeley State Park, its Revolutionary and Civil War history and the site of the 1993 Amtrak derailment, including the circumstances surrounding the disaster and safety changes that followed.
The excursion offered members a unique opportunity to experience the history, landscape and waterways of the Gulf Coast firsthand.
