Water was a critical resource influencing settlement patterns in Pensacola, Florida during the colonial period. Descriptions of the superior bay system played a major role in the selection of Pensacola as the site for a Spanish foothold on the Gulf Coast in the sixteenth century, and the availability of fresh water influenced the placement of a permanent settlement in the mid-eighteenth century. Because the stream system surrounding the town supplied much of the water for the civilian and military populations, wells (features commonly found in settlements) were not a necessity and, therefore, not relied on for the majority of the water needs of the community. Three wells associated with the British (1763-1781), and Second Spanish (1781-1821) occupations are discussed in this study. Where they were located, how they were constructed, and the analyses of their contents link people and events to the colonial landscape.
Back to list of theses