As Pensacolians find different ways to emphasize the city's Spanish heritage, it's not to surprising that the searching sometimes reveals placements (and spellings) that may suggest confusion.
Within the Pensacola Historic District are several streets with names that relate to the day when the French military occupied Spain itself — streets with names like Tarragona, Alcaniz, Florida Blanca and Zaragossa. These coupled with Barcelona, Reus and Devilliers, allow the history-minded to look back and relive events that encouraged city leaders to adopt and keep the names in place. However, examining one of those passages presents some questions.
First, note the name Zaragossa. That name was placed before the local Spanish leadership of 1808. At that moment, the French still controlled much of Spain, but British forces had begun their movement to oust Napoleon's men. At that same time, a number of Spanish leaders, some with military backgrounds, formed militia, to do their part in pushing the French from their immediate areas. One such man was Jose Palafox (some called him Gen. Palafox). With his powers, Palafox used forced and succeeded in driving the invaders from his home country (or shire) of Zaragossa. When word of that success reached the Spanish council in Pensacola, these men agreed to salute the results. They renamed two of their streets and so we gained Palafox and Zaragossa. Thus, placement has remained for 210 years.
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However, if one walks or drives through the historic district today, he (or she) may find that the one street has had seven different spellings. One firms of attorneys makes broadest use of letters, noting their address on a mailing piece as Zarragossa. Other literature and signage makes greater use of Zs. However, as one person said as she discovered the number, "No matter how you spell it, the name sounds the same!"
Then look back to another era, in the years 1900 to 1918, the later as the United States found itself in World War I. Then for a time, several of the buildings along Zaragossa Street (east and west) came to become to be used as "houses of pleasure." Prior to wartime, the waterfront had continued its hosting of vessels carrying away loads of finished lumber, en route to rebuilding communities in Western Europe. And there were commercial fishing fleets whose crews usually were on the banks at Yucatan for 30 days or more. Those men, like the lumber-ship crews, made the "houses" and their madams well-known and much frequented.
As the USA entered the war, the community found its military numbers rising fast. These men were, of course, from far away, and many of them (it is said) soon learned of the houses. From their use, Zaragossa Street for that purpose was given a nickname. In 1917 to 1918, it was called Liberty Street. It was, that is, until official of the Pensacola Aeronautical Station met with city commission members and the mayor, asking that the houses be closed down. Mayor Johnson and his fellow commissioners acted, and the closure was made.
But into days that followed, there were some who still enjoyed referring to the street as Liberty. Thus, if one was included, he might today use memories along with present practice and so give this one street different tiles. The city's department charged with preparing street name signs may want to make note,
John Appleyard is a Pensacola historian and writes a weekly historical column in the Pensacola News Journal. His 15-minute films about Pensacola are viewable, without charge, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday in The Cottage, 213 E. Zaragoza St.
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However you spell it, Pensacola's Zaragossa Street has fascinating history | Appleyard - Pensacola News Journal
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