The murder of Officer Ray Lynn Barnes November 21, 1987 By Mike Simmons Some law officers find themselves in opposition to the community. “You don’t understand!” they often say. Others are indifferent. “I’m here to do a job.” But there are a few that are very much a part of the community. Sir Robert Peel, […]
The Pensacola Police Historic Society “Cassdy.” That is what he is known as. Any member of the Pensacola Police Department who has worked on the street in the 1970s – 2000s has been asked, “Is Cassdy workin’?” or “Do you know Cassdy?” If you answered in the affirmative, you were hailed as a star, because
By Mike Simmons Here’s a revised one-page narrative with the red-light district woven into the story of downtown Pensacola at the turn of the century. Downtown Pensacola, 1900: A Rough-and-Tumble Port At the dawn of the twentieth century, downtown Pensacola was a port city with a swagger. Palafox Street, the main artery, rumbled with drays
By Mike Simmons Bill Myers was different. At 63 years old, most men would be relaxing in front of their television and enjoying retirement. But not him. Bill was always learning. After his career in the United States Air Force, he kept on with his photography business…which he was good at. He was known as
By Mike Simmons A hero of mine died today. Pat Patterson was a gentle giant, not only in his size – he had been voted “Mr. Hawaiian Islands” – But also in his…way. He was quiet, but in a massive way. Pat was one of the first Pensacola Police Officers of my memory. When my
An excerpt from the book, Some Gave All, available on Amazon By Mike Simmons 58-year-old W. C. Rigby, known to everyone as “Clint,” was an icon in rural northern Escambia County. He had served the community as Justice of the Peace, Deputy Sheriff, and Constable. Everyone in northern Escambia County, Florida, knew two things about
By Michael Simmons At 311 South Adams Street in downtown Pensacola sits the elegant Dorr House. The website, Great American Treasures describes it as “Beautifully Restored and lovingly furnished jewel of the late 1800s. It is a highlight of the Pensacola Historical District. Ebenezer Dorr (or Eben, as he was called), and his wife Clara,
By Mike Simmons In 1936, the Innerarity Point community, located in Escambia County, Florida, was the scene for bad news for two guys – Harval Russell Keys and Arthur Smith. Both men lived in the neighborhood, but they had a beef with each other. Actually it was more like war – something worth killing over.
By Mike Simmons August 19, 1938, was a hot day in Pensacola. Typical of Pensacola weather, the humidity could be described as suffocating. But Detective Archie Bowman had a job to do, and he set about doing it, just as he had done for the past thirty-seven years. An investigation that he was engaged in
By Mike Simmons On Saturday, January 11, 1930, the Pensacola News Journal reported the deaths in Pensacola from the previous year. 523 people died in the Pensacola area in 1929 46 people died of Pneumonia 34 died from heart disease 34 died from influenza 21 died of tuberculosis 20 from “brain trouble” 16 from pellagra
