Well before Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter, and even before MySpace, Friendster, or good ol’ AOL; there was a place in Pensacola where you could post your messages, pictures, and organizations on a wall. This wall is forever changing. Just like Facebook, the newsfeed changes every day. The old message replaced by the new, the writing on the wall ever morphing and transmuting to reflect the pulse of the times.
The Graffiti Bridge of Pensacola is not just a local landmark. It is a place where Pensacola residents can sift through the layers of local heritage, and it may very well be the original social media site.
Built in 1888, people have been tagging the bridge with personal messages since 1935. Since then, The Graffiti Bridge has been a place where people would come to share their messages, express and share their ideas, or just write some wacky comment. All comments were par for the course at Pensacola’s Graffiti Bridge. The local community came together and kept each other posted on the bridge’s four walls.
This is why I would consider The Graffiti Bridge the oldest social media site of Pensacola. This is why, even to this day, with all our computers, wifi, and the world wide web, the Pensacola community still rallies around The Graffiti Bridge to send messages, and keep each other informed.
With the various items created from the layers of paint from The Graffiti Bridge, you too can be a part of that history. Stop by today, and share piece of the connection to Pensacola through The Graffiti Bridge.
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