Kristen Bailey
Published: September 14, 2005
Nearly 100 residents and tourists attended the first Historic Pensacola walking tour of the season, hosted by the Jared Sparks Historical Society of PJC and led by history professor, Randall Broxton. The tours are an attempt to inform and alert the community of the vibrant history of Pensacola.
A Pensacola native, Mr. Broxton taught a one-credit history class at PJC for several years before restarting the historical society in 1994.
“Pensacola is a mixture of heritage, which makes it interesting. A lot of people sit on the Fleming fountain, and look around Seville Square without seeing the history (diorama) surrounding the base,” Broxton said.
In the same way, Joshua Simmons an officer of the Jared Sparks Historical Society, hopes to reveal local history to the town’s natives.
“People will be able to learn more about their history and respect their city more,” Simmons said.
Recounting various colorful stories of Pensacola, stories of alleged Nazi occupations, steamboat houses, and valuable ransoms, along with countless others, Broxton shares his enthusiasm for the town’s history with those who attend his tours.
“The love of history is universal not just for history majors. This area has a very rich history,” Broxton said.
Simmons agrees.
“I love history. I’d like to find more about the history where I live at,” Simmons said.
At the conclusion of his tours, Professor Broxton reinstates his will to impart the knowledge of our city’s history to its natives.
“I hope that you’re leaving today with knowledge that you did not have prior to coming,” Broxton said.
In addition to providing interesting history to those merely intrigued by it, the tours will undoubtedly benefit those students pursing a history major.
“Being that they major in history, if they wanted to be teachers, they could use their knowledge from taking these tours to make other students more excited about history,” Simmons said.
If nothing else, the walking tours are a nice way to spend a morning, becoming more acquainted with others in the community and the colorful history of our city.