Second Spanish Period

Second Spanish Period. . As a result of General Bernardo de Gálvez's 1781 attack on Pensacola during the American Revolution, the British returned West Florida to Spain in 1783. The Second Spanish occupation shaped much of the modern city's design including many street names, the two open squares, and some surviving buildings. Pensacola became a diverse civilian community including people, both free and enslaved, from across the Gulf Coast, Caribbean, and the Atlantic. , The Second Spanish Period saw the growth of vibrant trade in deerskins with the region's Native American groups. Spanish authorities gave the Panton-Leslie Company, headquartered in Pensacola, sole control over this trade. In return, native people received cloth, rum, guns and ammunition, and personal items. , The area where you are standing continued to function as the military headquarters, and the Spanish improved or added buildings to suit their needs. Between 1812 and 1821, the Spanish, the British and their Creek allies, and Americans controlled this area at different times. Archaeological evidence of change from an old British structure, outlined in blue in this exhibit, to a new Second Spanish building in yellow, shows Pensacola's changing landscape. In 1821, the Adams-Onís Treaty transferred Florida from Spain to the United States. The change of flags took place close to this spot., On May 8, 1781 Gálvez and his forces attacked British Pensacola. This rare 1784 engraving by Nicolas Ponce depicts the Siege of Pensacola. Image courtesy of the UWF University Archives and West Florida History Center.