Browse Exhibits (5 total)
Houses and Homes
The Houses of Erza Gerry: Architecture and Neighborhoods.
There were three houses that Erza Gerry and his family were known to have lived in the Pensacola area. Gerry was a renter at two properties one located on West Zaragossa Street, and another on West Wright Street, and lived in a house and property owned by his grandmother, Georgiana, on North A Street. All the information that can be gathered indicates these houses were in the shotgun style. The North A Street properties would stay in the family until at least into the 1940s.
This exhibit will show what types of Architecture and what the living situations of the people living in the Pensacola area at the turn of the twentieth century as well as the idea that the gerrys houses are good examples of the type of home that the working class would have been living in at the beginning of the 1900s
The first section explores Folk Architures which is what Gerry and other working class households would have used. The second section looks at the Architure of the wealthy. The last section is a study of the ethnic make-up of the neighborhood.
Death and Disaster
The sea holds many mysteries in the depths of its dark waters. Many see the oceans as an adventure to begin opportunities for wealth and a better life. Ezra Gerry was one of those people who sought this out. An African American man in his 20’s, Gerry sought adventure and a new life away from Pensacola. Like so many people who seek that sense of a better life, Ezra saw opportunity in the Larchmont. This was his ticket, his way out to a better life; to work on the seas rather than on the docks. Ezra, of course, must have known the risks of sailing in the early 1900s, but no amount of knowledge prepared him for the destruction of the Larchmont on that dark, cold Rhode Island night on the sea.
No one could have been prepared for that night on February 7, 1907, off the coast of Southern, Rhode Island. This exhibit explores the night, the Schooner impacted into the Larchmont during their departure. It will also delve into the controversies and the unifying power of the wreck that was broadcasted across the United States. That impact was heard throughout the United States as newspapers published about the incident. As the newspapers released information about the disaster, they began to release names of those who, unfortunately, lost their lives. Amongst the names of the lost appeared Ezra Gerry.
Ezra at Work
Port to Sea: A Workmen’s Escape
Ezra Gerry experienced long days, grueling hours, and the arduous work of the Pensacola Port. Lifting, pulling and moving all manner of trades goods from the port to ship and ship to port. The port provided a livelihood for African American’s in the early 1900s.
The North offered different opportunities for Gerry later in his life. He found a new occupation aboard The Larchmont serving, cooking, and waiting. This allowed him to explore more of the world he lived in, venturing away from Pensacola.
His work experience narrates the many African Americans in the maritime industry who’s stories will never be known. Due to the lack of information about Pensacola at this time, historians can generalize the experience in Pensacola by analyzing existing information on other ports and workers. The Pensacola port offered profitable and escapist opportunities to many African American men in this time. This is an exhibit of what Gerry and many African American men would have seen and experienced in the maritime industry of the Pensacola’s port. Firstly, the exhibit will describe and explain the job of a stevedore. Second, the exhibit will explore the port of Pensacola during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Lastly, the exhibit will explain the opportunities offered to African Americans in the South.
Ezra's Family
Family: A Safe Harbor During the Storms of Change
From Post-Reconstruction up to and through the Jim Crow Era, families faced tumultuous challenges from which the family home provided a welcome respite. The family home became a port in the storms of change caused by turbulent social and political situations.
This exhibit provides insight into Gerry's family structure through mini biographies beginning with his grandmother then culminating with his generation including his siblings. Ezra’s family provided structure and unity in a time of change and uncertainty. Expect to step into the life of a typical African-American family during a challenging time in Pensacola's history.