The Marco Island Historical Society
The birth of the Marco Island Historical Museum campus in 2010 brings to life a long held dream of the Marco Island Historical Society.
The Society was founded in 1994 and is dedicated to discovery, research, acquisition and preservation of the multi-faceted history of the Marco Island- Goodland region. This museum complex gives the Society a physical place to fulfill their goal of educating and informing the community and visitors of our dynamic heritage. The museum campus uses a unique motif in its exploration of Marco Island’s history from the life of the Calusa Indians and the pioneer days of the white settlement to what it has become today.
Additionally, within the museum, a traveling exhibit gallery and a museum gift store can be found. The campus is further enriched by the beautiful Rose History Auditorium (RHA), a multi-functional facility that is available for rent for a variety of private and public functions and celebrations!
To learn more about the mission statement of the Marco Island Historical Society please click here. This will take you to our "About Us" page.
The Marco Island Historical Society’s Summer Programs
Often we think of “History” as something that happened a long time ago. But history is something that is developing every moment of the day. True, Marco Island’s history goes back thousands of years, but some of the most exciting events have occurred in the last 50 or 60 years. And we are fortunate to have people still available who have lived that history and are willing to share it with us. The Marco Island Historical Society is thrilled to be able to introduce you to three of these individuals this summer at the Rose History Auditorium.
On June 4th Larry Richardson’s talk will bring to life some of the chapters of his book “Florida’s Unsung Wilderness, The Swamps.” Larry has made over 60 national television appearances as a wildlife expert. He will bring with him pictures, poetry, scientific information and personal experiences to illustrate how S.W. Florida has been threatened by uncontrolled growth.
On July 9th former Collier County Deputy Sheriff Dave Johnson will be sharing his view of some of the amazing changes that have taken place locally since the early 1950s. His talk, entitled “Square Grouper and Movie Mania” is sure to give us all a very personal view of what was happening in the Goodland, Marco and Everglades City area during this time, not all of it the kind of thing we might have wanted publicized. (In case you didn’t know, a “square grouper” was the name given to bales of marijuana found floating in the gulf that had been dropped off by mother ships to be collected by the local drug dealers.)
August 6th will bring us an evening of 60 minutes of movies showing us Marco Island’s story and later aerial images as it was being developed by the Mackle Brothers. Bill Hughes has taken the time to meet and befriend some of our founding families and record stories directly from their personal recollections.
We invite you all to share in these evenings of the more recent history as it was being made here on Marco Island. Please join us at the MIHS museum complex at 7 p.m. on each of these dates. Cost for the evening is $3 for members and $5 for non-members.
