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Santa Rosa Island History
SANTA ROSA ISLAND—A HISTORY (Jane Johnson) While Santa Rosa Island may be thought of by some as a relaxing place to watch the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Santa Rosa Sound along with a plethora of birds, fish and other wildlife—not to leave out the beautiful heavens above—the Island has been embroiled in historical upheavals from its very form- ation to current times. This History is not a scholarly work, but hopefully factual and interesting. The main sources for this history include Gulf Islands, The Sands of all Time by Jesse Earle Bowden (1994); www.uwf.edu/archaeology; Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia; the original lease of Navarre Beach by Santa Rosa County from Escambia County (1956); excerpts from the 1970 Annual Report of the Okaloosa Island Authority; Chapter 75-456 House Bill No. 2307 abolishing the Okaloosa Island Authority (1975); and the Okaloosa Island Leaseholders Association Newsletter of May 2000. The very formation of the 45 mile (some say 48 mile) long barrier island from Pensacola Bay to Destin’s East Pass must have been a sight to behold. Geologists believe that barrier islands in general began to form during the end of the last Ice Age about 15,000 years ago as glaciers melted and the sea level rose. It is believed that Santa Rosa Island was formed some 4000 to 5000 years ago by quartzite river sediment coming from the Appalachian Mountains via the Choctawhatchee River providing our beautiful white sand. But this must have been a turbulent time at the end of the ice age with the oceans rising as glaciers melted pushing the Gulf Islands toward the west and north and storms likely undoing thousands of years work, only for the process to continue. Finally an island formed and the ecological process began. Basic plants such as sea oats provided habitats for small animal forms leading to the flora and fauna we see today. Only 21 years after Columbus discovered “America” the Spanish came to Florida, the first being Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513, giving the name “La Florida”—land of the flowers. Only 26 years later Diego Malanado, a captain under Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, anchored his supply ship in Pensacola Bay during the winter 1539-1540. He was most impressed with this beautiful bay. Now we came very close to making HISTORY: Only 19 years later Tristan de Luna founded the first European settlement in the U.S. near Fort Pickens in 1559. Unfortunately a hurricane in 1561 destroyed the settlement and seven of his ships. One ship was destroyed at Emanuel Point (University of West Florida archeological project) and six others thought to be in Pensacola Bay. They called Pensacola Bay—Bahia de Santa Maria Filepino de Ochuse. Only four years later in 1565, St. Augustine was established as the first permanent European settlement in what is now the U.S. So close was our Island to have this honor! Further exploration of our area was neglected for the next 125 years until 1686. Enrique Barroto’s seaman Juan Jordan de Reina rediscovered “Panzacola Bay”, an Indian name. But the Spaniards renamed the bay “Bahia de Santa Maria de Galve” in 1693; they also named the Barrancas Coloradas (Red Cliffs) across from the Island as well as the Island: Isle de Santa Rosa (for Saint Rose of Lima) and the west point of Santa Rosa Island, Siguenza Point. Next the French tried to move in on the Spanish. In 1697 Frenchman Pierre le Moyne de Iberville anchored a five ship expedition off Santa Maria harbor but the Spanish refused entry to the French and the French sailed to Mobile Bay and reconnoitered Dauphin Island off the now Alabama coast, and Petit Bois, Horn and Ship Islands off the Mississippi coast. The first permanent settlement in Pensacola was established by the Spanish in 1698 at Presidio Santa Maria de Galve which included the building of a wooden fort named Fort San Carlos de Austria. The fortification was built to protect against French intrusion. The site of the first Spanish settlement was unknown until 1986 when Spanish and Indian artifacts were accidentally discovered by electrical contractors on Naval Air Station property. In 1995 the University of West Florida (UWF) Archaeology Institute began the excavation of the Presidio Santa Maria de Galve and Fort San Carlos de Austria. A small battery was installed at Siguenza Point on Santa Rosa Island in 1719 to further protect against the French, but the French captured the garrison and Spain surrendered. The French transported the Spanish garrison to Havana but a trap there resulted in Spain retaking Panzacola. Spain built a new battery on Point Siguenza named Fort Principe de Austurias and strengthened Fort San Carlos de Austria from land attack. However, the Fort San Carlos de Austria and Santa Maria de Galve were buried under sand until the 1986 discovery of the artifacts and the later excavation by UWF. The Spanish built a new fort on Santa Rosa Island, Santa Rosa Punta de Siguenze some three quarters of a mile from the original Siguenza Point. By 1723 the stockade and town consisted of 35 buildings. A small fortification, San Miguel was built on the bay- front mainland. All was well for nearly 30 years but in 1752 a hurricane again struck the Island leaving only two buildings standing. The colony and fort were relocated to the mainland, now to become the Presidio San Miguel de Panzacola. In 1762 another storm washed away what little was left of the Island community. In 1763 Spain went to war with England but lost Cuba to the British. Under the 1763 Treaty of Paris Spain ransomed Cuba by abandoning Florida, ceding all possessions east of the Mississippi to Britain. Panzacola slowly became Pensacola. The British divided the territory from the Mississippi to the Atlantic into East and West Florida. West Florida spanned from the Mississippi to Apalachicola rivers. The town of Pensacola was shaped around the San Miguel stockade, now Seville Square. During the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) East and West Florida remained loyal to the British. In 1779 the Spanish joined the Americans declaring war against Eng- land. In 1783 the Second Treaty of Paris ceded East and West Florida back to Spain. Spain ceded Louisiana to France. In 1803 the U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon and the Spanish fled from the American territory back to Pensacola. However, Florida received little attention from Spain and Andrew Jackson had to invade Pensacola twice due to the Creek Wars. By 1818 President Monroe decreed that Spain either protect and control the Floridas or cede them to the U.S. In an 1819 Transcontinental Treaty (Adams-Onis) Spain renounced claims to West Florida and ceded East Florida to the U.S. ($5 million). In 1821 Jackson became the American provisional governor; Spanish Florida is now American. The Territorial Capital was moved to Tallahassee in 1823. Soon afterward the people in Pensacola began pressing for a navy yard with the backing of Territorial Governor William Duval. In 1826 Congress authorized the lighthouse and the navy yard installation under Commodore Warrington, the first navy yard commandant. His successor, Commodore Woolsey created two villages, Warrington and Woolsey outside the navy yard for homebuilding. Jackson among others wanted harbor defenses. Since 1812 the U.S. had relied heavily on forts to deny entry to its harbors by invaders. As a result Captain William Henry Chase of the Army Corp of Engineers was assigned as Chief engineer for the Gulf of Mexico area. He built Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island (Siguenza Point) beginning in 1829 and completed it in 1834. He completed Fort McRee on Perdido Key in 1839 and Ft. Barrancas in 1844. The construction of Fort Pickens was a massive project. To supply most of the 21.5 million bricks, Captain Chase established a brick yard in Pensacola. However, lime, granite, lead and copper were shipped in from Maine, New York, Illinois and Switzerland. The Strong and Underhill Company of New Orleans provided the workforce of skilled slaves. Local slaves were used for unskilled labor. The main entrance to the Fort was reached by a causeway (see diagram below) (1). Officer quarters (2) had fireplaces with marble mantels. Most of the fort consisted of gun emplacements both atop and within the walls. The interior gun rooms (3) are called casemates. Granite semicircles in the floor supported the great weight of the cast iron guns. Vents over the windows dealt with the tremendous amounts of smoke produced by black powder ammunition. Mine chambers (5) were designed to hold about 1,000 pounds of gunpowder each. Three powder magazines (6) held about 250,000 pounds of black powder. The counterscarp wall and dry moat (9) protected the landward face of the fort from direct artillery fire. Bastion A (10) allowed Cannon to sweep the dry moat during an assault. This bastion also contains casemates, mine chambers and a magazine. One of two cisterns (12) supplied rain water. To support the weight of the fort on the soft sand of Santa Rosa Island, reversed arches (l3) of the foundation spread the weight of the structure. Seven acres of open ground (15) in the center of the fort once provided space to drill and quarter troops. Changes to the original fort (4, 7, 8, 11, 14 and 16) occurred after the Civil War in reaction to the Spanish American War, a fire, and modernization. Florida became the 27th state of the Union on March 3, 1845. It seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861. From January 10 to April 12, 1861, Port Pickens played a major role leading up to the outbreak of the Civil War, in the “Fort Sumter or Fort Pickens” drama to see who would start the war. Fort Pickens and Fort Sumter were the only two federal forts in the south remaining under Union control. Strangely enough, now “Colonel” William Chase, the engineer who built the Pensacola forts would be authorized to seize the forts for the State of Florida. In January 1861 the Federal military presence in Pensacola was minimal; there were small detachments at Fort Barrancas and the navy yard, but Fort McRee had only a sergeant and his wife as caretakers, and Fort Pickens was not garrisoned at all. The only federal army regulars in the area were the men of Company G, 1st U.S. Artillery, stationed at Fort Barrancas. Their commander was First Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer. Knowing that the seizures of the forts were in the offing, he went to the navy yard on January 7 to talk with Commodore James F. Armstrong, the commandant. While promising to cooperate with Slemmer, Armstrong was under pressure to give up the navy yard to Florida. Slemmer posted guards at Fort Barrancas and shortly before midnight on January 8th, the guards fired warning shots at intruders who ran away. On January 9 Slemmer received orders “to do the utmost in your power to prevent the seizure of either of the forts in Pensacola Harbor by surprise of assault.” He and his second in command, Second Lieutenant Jeremiah H. Gilman, evacuated their men to Fort Pickens on January 10th, the day that Florida seceded from the Union. They spiked the guns at Fort Barrancas and destroyed 20,000 pounds of gunpowder at Fort McRee, taking along as much equipment and supplies as his men could transport to Fort Pickens. The men totaled 51 soldiers and 30 sailors detached from the navy yard. The next day southern troops occupied the navy yard. The U.S. flag was lowered and the Florida flag raised. The Union troops at Ft. Pickens were on their own. On January 12 Captain Victor M. Randolph came to the fort demanding surrender. Slemmer refused. On the 15th Colonel Chase made his way to Fort Pickens. Slemmer refused to surrender. The rebels were not eager for the bloodshed of their troops if they attacked the fort. Fort Pickens enjoyed a strong defensive position. Senators Yulee and Mallory agreed and an agreement was struck for a truce as long as the fort was not reinforced. A Federal ship, the U.S.S. Brooklyn arrived off the coast on February 6 but did not land troops. Slemmer was permitted to buy provisions in Pensacola and could use the post office. Slemmer and his troops worked hard to repair the fort and reposition cannon against the “new enemy” across the bay. |
