Plaza Ferdinand VII, Pensacola, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

Plaza Ferdinand VII is a shaded public square in the heart of old Pensacola, Florida, and a National Historic Landmark. It began as the town square laid out by the British in 1765, and it is best known as the place where Florida was handed from Spain to the United States in 1821. It is also a place where the city remembers a painful chapter of its past.

The story behind it

The plaza is what remains of the original town square the British planned in 1765, when Pensacola was the capital of British West Florida. It later took the name of the Spanish king Ferdinand VII. On July 17, 1821, Andrew Jackson, appointed governor of the new territory, met the Spanish governor here for the formal ceremony in which Florida changed hands from Spain to the United States.

The square also holds a darker memory. In 1908 and 1909, two African American men, Leander Shaw and David Alexander, were taken from jail before they could stand trial and lynched in the plaza. The city now marks this history on its African American Heritage Trail. Celebration and injustice both belong to the story of this ground.

What to look for

• The old shade trees that cover the square, which make it a calm pause in the middle of downtown.
• The historical markers around the plaza, which give the dates and events of the 1821 transfer.
• The marker connected to the African American Heritage Trail, which records the lynchings of 1908 and 1909.
• The mix of old and newer buildings on the streets around the square, which shows how many layers of Pensacola's history sit close together.

Tips for your visit

• Plan 15 to 30 minutes for the plaza itself, longer if you read every marker and sit under the trees.
• It is an open public square, so you can walk in and out as you like. Morning or late afternoon is more comfortable in the Florida heat.
• Palafox Street and the historic downtown streets are a short walk away, so the plaza fits easily into a longer stroll.
• Treat it as a place of memory as well as a park, and take a quiet moment to read the markers.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in Pensacola brings you to the plaza on foot as one stop of a longer route through the old town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Pensacola is a second way to explore the same streets, with a mystery theme. You walk from place to place, hear the story of each one, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group, with no guide and no set start time.