Historic and Archaeological Sites
The Colonial record for Florida began when Juan Ponce de León landed in Florida in 1513. Since that time, Florida’s rich and diverse cultural and historic landscape has become unlike anywhere else in the world. From living history experiences with re-enacted Colonial life, such as Pensacola's historic village and museum or Mission San Luis in Tallahassee, to seeing the best of northwest Florida’s history and prehistory at the Fort Walton Temple Mound and Museum in Fort Walton Beach, there are so many opportunities today to experience northwest Florida’s storied past firsthand.
History can be found throughout Florida from coast to coast and every place in between. All you must do to find it is explore
John G. Riley House
The John G. Riley house represents the thriving black neighborhood that once existed in what is now the downtown area of Tallahassee. John Gilmore Riley was a black educator and civic... Read More
Julee Cottage Museum
This simple, wood-frame building, built around 1804, is Pensacola’s only surviving “to the sidewalk” construction. It belonged to Julee Patton, a free woman of color, who purchased... Read More
Pensacola Lighthouse & Museum
In the spring of 1861, Confederate authorities dismantled and removed the first-order Fresnel lens from the 1859 Pensacola Lighthouse. During the Union bombardment of Pensacola in November... Read More
Presidio Santa Mariá de Galve
Spain established Presidio Santa María de Galve on a high bluff overlooking Pensacola Bay in 1698 to ward off French encroachment into Florida from Mobile to the west. The Presidio... Read More
Wakulla History Museum & Archives
Operated by the Wakulla County Historical Society, the museum and archives are located in the 1949 Old Wakulla County Jail building. The museum contains an exhibit on Roderick Donald... Read More
Crooked River Lighthouse
For 116 years the Crooked River Lighthouse has stood as a beacon, guiding timber ships as well as local fishermen and oystermen through the treacherous pass between Dog and St.... Read More
Cape St. George Lighthouse
The Cape St. George Lighthouse first stood at the southern-most tip of “Little” St. George Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The island is 8 miles offshore of Apalachicola in the Florida... Read More
Black Archives at the Union Bank Building
Completed in 1841, the Union Bank is Florida's oldest surviving bank building. Chartered in 1833 as a planter's bank from which plantation owners could borrow against their land and... Read More
City of Fort Walton Beach Heritage Park & Cultural Center
The City of Fort Walton Beach Heritage Park & Cultural Center consists of the Indian Temple Mound Museum, the Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum, the Garnier Post Office Museum, and... Read More
Davis-West House, Chipola Historical Trust Museum
Constructed in c.1840 for local merchant John Davis, it became the home of Dr. Theophilus West upon his marriage to Davis’ widowed daughter in March 1861. In May 1861, Dr. West enlisted... Read More