It’s time to tell the stories that haven’t been told about Pensacola’s rich and diverse history — and to fight to save that history as we shape our city’s future.
Our Story
The John Sunday Society was established in 2016 to fight to save Sunday’s historic 1901 home in downtown Pensacola. While we weren’t successful, our efforts sparked a new conversation about historic preservation.
Now, we’re relaunching with a broader mission: to raise awareness of Pensacola’s diverse and multicultural history and to advocate for the preservation of Pensacola’s historic places and spaces.
“It’s disappointing that John Sunday is treated as a footnote in Pensacola’s history … in reality he’s an entire chapter. ”
— TENÍADÉ BROUGHTON, FOUNDING PRESIDENT
About John Sunday
Born the son of a slave in 1838, John Sunday went on to become one of Pensacola’s first black state legislators and city council members. Sunday helped build the Pensacola we know today, forming a successful construction business that erected hundreds of homes and buildings, many of which still stand. By the first decade of the 1900s, Sunday was one of the wealthiest black men not just in the South, but in the nation.
John Sunday’s house, built in 1901 at 302 West Romana Street, demolished in 2016.
Stay Tuned
As we relaunch the John Sunday Society, we’ll be updating this site with more information about our upcoming projects.