On our new podcast, “(we don’t) color on the dog,” University of West Florida President Dr. Martha Saunders stated that the entire collection of T.T. Wentworth’s papers has been cataloged and is available online here.
“Jamin Wells, our rockstar history professor, is working on a book around the entire collection, what was happening at the time and who was doing what,” she said. “That promises to be a really, really important piece of research.”
Dr. Saunders explained the care that the university has taken in reviewing the collection. “We’re in the knowledge industry. That’s what we do. Any historical document has to be approached with all integrity. We try not to tell people what to think, but we do want them to have accurate information and context because that is what scholars do.”
IT’S TIME: Two days before a special session of the city council in July 2020, where a final vote on the Confederate statue was expected, historian Tom Garner sent a multi-page essay to the council, thick with footnotes thoroughly detailing histories of racial violence in the region. The essay began simply enough—“It’s time.”
“For 129 years, Pensacola’s Confederate monument has occupied a place of prominence and prestige on the crest of Palafox Hill overlooking downtown Pensacola. It’s time now for it to come down,” wrote Garner.
The proverbial “bombshell” in the letter was Wentworth was more than a businessman, politician, collector and historian. He had another title, revealed by Garner—“T. T. Wentworth, Jr. was also Exalted Cyclops, Escambia Klan number 57, Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.”
The story first broke on social media, followed by the release of Garner’s letter on this and later a more extensive article in the Pensacola News Journal.
NAME CHANGE: In November 2020. the University of West Florida Historic Trust Board voted to change T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum to the Pensacola Museum of History at the University of West Florida. The name change was prompted by a discovery in Wentworth’s document that he was the Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s (Inweekly, “Who Gets to Tell the History,” 7/23/20).
“We talked at subsequent previous meetings about the revelations that Mr. Wentworth’s involvement as a leader in the local Ku Klux Klan,” said Historic Trust Executive Director Rob Overton at the virtual board meeting. “I think this, as a statement says, compels us to make sure that our museums reflect the values of this organization, which is inclusivity and diversity and parts of our values.”
The UWF Historic Trust issued this statement:
“When the board decided to end the work of the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Foundation four years ago, we believed our efforts had been completed. We left our work on the history of Northwest Florida and?the contributions made by the Wentworth family in the good hands of the UWF Historic Trust and Pensacola State College.?However, sometimes history finds us.?Recent revelations about our founder’s leadership in the KKK now compel us to return?to right?past wrongs wherever possible.?This is where we now find ourselves as the family and former board members of the foundation.
“First and foremost, we stand against racism in any form, including our founder’s involvement?as the leader of the KKK, chapter 57 in Escambia County.?We were deeply saddened to learn the full scale of his involvement in this secret organization that has done great harm to the African American community, among others.?To that end, we are forming a task force of family, foundation members and community leaders to determine the extent of T.T. Wentworth Jr.’s activities and the harm that may have caused.?Our hope is that lament, healing and restoration will come from looking back so that we and our community can begin to move forward.?We believe that this?could become a transformational moment for our beloved community of Pensacola.
“History is an evolving story, and we find ourselves with unfinished business concerning our founder.?We?can’t change the past, but we can begin to shape a future that chooses hope and unity over division and fear.?We ask you, especially the children and grandchildren of those who have been harmed, to keep us accountable.?This process may be more about your families than it is ours.
“And so, it appears we still have some work to do.
“This unexpected journey may turn out to be far more important than any name on the old City Hall?facing Ferdinand Plaza.”
The advisory group issued its report in July 2021 – here.
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