The Rebels abandon Pensacola. Here’s how it devastated the Emerald Coast.
On May 9, 1862, the Rebel army abandoned Pensacola to the Union. Here’s what happened next:
1975: Eglin transforms into a tent city for Vietnamese refugees
More than 50 years ago, Eglin served as a primitive, but welcoming landing place for more than 20,000 refugees of the Vietnamese communist victory in Saigon.
History of the Emerald Coast: JFK Visits Eglin – Talks Special Forces
On this day in 1962 John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States made the second-ever presidential visit to Eglin Air Force Base. His speech that day would have huge implications for the special forces community and the future of special operations.
He’s the man responsible for the first history of Walton County:
He’s the man responsible for the first history of Walton County: Christopher Saul May 1, 2026 9:26 am History On May 1, 1840, John Love McKinnon, Jr., was born. McKinnon, a Walton County native of the Eucheeanna area, wrote the first-ever history of the county in 1911, just a couple of years before his […]
This massive concert transformed Emerald Coast tourism forever!
On April 21, 1984, the band Heart played a free beach concert on Okaloosa Island to 35,000 people, causing a traffic nightmare that lasted for hours. This pivotal event—fueled by free beer and college Spring Breakers—forced Okaloosa County to choose whether the Emerald Coast would be a destination for rowdy students or for families.
ANACONDA: How the blockade of the South devastated the Emerald Coast
On April 18, 1861, Abraham Lincoln would make his opening move on the chessboard of the Civil War. It would have devastating consequences on the Emerald Coast.
This is why this inspired man created the Emerald Coast
When he arrived, he was one of the most controversial figures in Northwest Florida. By the time he died, he was universally loved.
History of the Emerald Coast: gruesome guerilla warfare in the Panhandle
On a humid April day in 1837, a Creek man walked into the tiny settlement of Lumbertown to trade for ammunition. He didn’t know he was walking into a powder keg. What began as a wary exchange ended in a roadside slaughter—sparking a brutal, “eye-for-an-eye” bush war that would terrorize the Florida Panhandle for decades. This is the forgotten story of the Creek Indian Crisis, a conflict of scalpings, famine, and ethnic cleansing that redefined the Emerald Coast.
History of the Emerald Coast: Crestview wins contest for county seat
On this day in 1917 the votes were finalized in Crestview was the winner of the county seat contest in Okaloosa county. Here’s how it went down
History of the Emerald Coast: Camp Walton shelled by Union forces
On April 1, 1862, soldiers of the Union Army fired their cannons at the Walton Guards on the temple mound of Camp Walton and caused them to flee all the way to Boggy Bayou. Here’s how it went down.
