An excerpt from the book, “Pensacola’s Finest,” available on Amazon
By Mike Simmons
In 1776, Joseph Purcell drew up a new map. Included in the map was a building labeled “Prison, a brick building” within the garrison (Granby and Charlotte Streets). In 1778, as the city expanded, another Pensacola map of Joseph Purcell showed a “Gaol (old Spanish word for jail), built of brick.” The small building was located on the Southwest corner of Alcaniz and Intendencia Streets, the same location – just different street names. Shortly after they began to establish a town in Pensacola, the British entered the Revolutionary War to defend against the newly formed colonies in America. Part of the war was known as the Gulf Coast Campaign in which the Spanish sought to conquer from Great Britain the settlements along the coast. New Orleans, Mobile, and Pensacola were among the targets.
“The Old Calaboose.” It is a name that elicits visions of a creepy, falling-down old building. That is what it was – at least after a while. In the late 1700s, the calaboose was built on the southwest corner of Alcaniz and Intendencia Streets. Even though it was made of brick, it was allowed to fall into disrepair among the changes in government. In 1835, the calaboose was in such disrepair that the city finally decided to tear it down.
