Escambia County Celebrates 199th Birthday; Escambia Was One Of Florida’s Two Original Counties

July 17, 2020

Escambia County turned 199 years old Friday, July 17. Created on the same date in 1821, Escambia and St. Johns counties were Florida’s two original counties, covering the entire territory within modern state boundaries. The Suwannee River was the border between Escambia and St. Johns counties, which follows a winding path from the northern border of the state to the Gulf of Mexico. Essentially, the Escambia County government had jurisdiction over the “panhandle” and “big bend” areas, and St. Johns over the remainder of the entire state.

“We would like to wish Escambia County, Happy 199th!,” said Escambia County Chairman and District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry. “We are looking forward to a year-long celebration where we can all learn more about what it was like when Escambia County was founded in 1821.”

A new logo was designed to commemorate the 200th anniversary, which includes a map of the state with the original boundary between Escambia County and St. Johns Counties, an American flag, the dates of 1821 and 2021, a banner showcasing the 200th Anniversary, and Escambia County and the City of Pensacola written around the outside. The colors of the logo include red, white and blue to represent the colors of the American flag with St. Johns County in purple.

“I’d like to wish a very happy 199th birthday to Escambia County and join them in celebrating our area’s rich history,” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said. “I’m looking forward to celebrating the county’s 200th birthday in 2021 and hoping it will be a momentous year for our entire community.”

Comments

7 Responses to “Escambia County Celebrates 199th Birthday; Escambia Was One Of Florida’s Two Original Counties”

  1. Safebear on July 19th, 2020 6:38 am

    If we don’t remember our history, we are going to repeat it. And a lot of that history does NOT need to be repeated. #MaskItorCasket

  2. MiB on July 18th, 2020 5:08 pm

    Down with the Galvez statue, he was a racist!

  3. ALEX on July 17th, 2020 11:17 pm

    ESCAMBIA County is one of the two ORIGINAL Counties in Fl. HAPPY BIRTHDAYI

  4. BRING IT ON on July 17th, 2020 9:22 pm

    What’s wrong with twisted history? It’s history and a statue or a street name or flag ,celebrated or not is not necessarily bad. I myself don’t mind looking back at bad things in history because it reminds me of how a country goes through changes and how it progresses. If you go in the direction of tearing the history down and rewriting it to suit a few groups then what is accomplished? If that is the direction then America will no longer be considered leader of the free world.

  5. Ensley Man on July 17th, 2020 2:25 pm

    Escambia is derived from native American words you dunce, and it’s always been okay to look back in history, not to celebrate the really twisted parts. Yal really brainwashed.

  6. ensley boy on July 17th, 2020 8:52 am

    How long will it take BLM to find something racist about the word Escambia. Time to bow down and change the name.

  7. Native 1950 on July 17th, 2020 8:25 am

    Hmmmm, so…its okay to “look back on our history” now??? …SMH

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News