Presidio San Miguel de Panzacola

 (1756-1763) - A Spanish presidio established in 1756 in present-day downtown Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. The Presidio was established at the site of Fort San Miguel (1), a small blockhouse erected in the 1740s. Surrendered by the Spanish in 1763 to the English.

History
Some of the survivors from the hurricane destroyed Presidio Isla Santa Rosa Punta de Siguenza took refuge in Fort San Miguel (1) on the mainland in 1752 and the decision was taken to expand the small blockhouse there into a new stockaded presidio. It took until 1756 to finalize the plan. Construction on the new Presidio began in August 1757 on the site of Fort San Miguel (1) and progressed rapidly because of a threat from local Indians. A double stockade some 700' long enclosed the Presidio buildings, the governor's house, and twenty-one cannons. The village surrounded the stockade, housing the officers, married soldiers, and civilians. In 1761 the population of the Presidio swelled to over 900 persons.

At the end of the French & Indian War, the Spanish ceded Florida to the British. The British arrived in Pensacola in August 1763 and took possession of the Presidio. The Spanish Commandant and almost 800 persons sailed off to other Spanish territories. The British occupied the old presidio, referring to it as the Fort at Pensacola and began a series of failed attempts to make habitable.

Current Status
Some ruins remain between Plaza Ferdinand VII and Seville Square in downtown Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. The ruins are a mix of the Spanish and British era buildings.

Sources:
 * , page 194
 * Bense, Judith A., Archaeology of Colonial Pensacola, University Press of Florida, 1999, ISBN 0813016614, ISBN 9780813016610, 312 pages

Links:
 * North American Forts - Presidio San Miguel de Panzacola
 * Pensapedia - Presidio San Miguel de Panzacola