Day at the Museum: A review of the Southwest Florida Museum of History

I recently visited the Southwest Florida Museum of History in Fort Myers, Florida, and I was surprised by how thorough it was at walking me through the entirety of the history of Southwest Florida in such a quaintly modest amount of space.

I was admitted under my student discount, which totaled $5.30 and included a hand-held audio tour. General admission is $9.50 plus tax.

The museum begins with a prehistoric exhibit of fossilized mammals that roamed Florida long before man. This depicts a time where Florida resembled the dry grasslands of Sub-Saharan African. Fossils include the massive skeletons of the Giant Sloth, the Saber-toothed Cat and the mammoth. 

As you continue your self-guided tour, you will learn about the early settlement of the Calusa Indians and their reign over the region. On display is a large collection of primitive tools the Calusa used such as shell-hammers and hunting bows. In the same exhibit there is a mural representation of the shell mounts and agricultural development of the Calusa Indians on Pineland, Pine Island, Florida where the natives were known to have flourished.

From there you witness the seamless transition of the landing of the conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon in the early 16^th century, followed by the extinction of the Calusa as a result of the disease brought by the Spanish.

From there, the exhibits begin making leaps and bounds through history as we travel into the Seminole Wars of the early 19^th century, which led to the eventual displacement of the Seminole Indian tribe. We finally reach the development of the fort that served as a stronghold against the Seminoles. This fort would later be named after the young Florida quartermaster, Abraham Myers.

We then make another hastily jump into the fort’s involvement in the Civil War and then into Southwest Florida’s prominent cattle trade to Cuba in the 1870s. This is followed by the transformation of Fort Myers with the introduction of notable figures like Harvie Heitman and Capt. Francis Hendry.

We then witness the boom of the aquacultural industry of Florida followed by a small pocket in the back of the museum dedicated to the civil servants of SW Florida.

The far north hall of the museum is the temporary exhibit gallery. The season, the museum has the work of the Highwaymen on display. The Highwaymen were a troupe of African-American artists from the 1950s what painted realist depictions of the untapped, tropical landscape of Florida. The gallery will be on display until Jan. 3, 2015.

We are then taken into another abrupt transition to the war gallery. This is a collection of war related relics that includes a hodgepodge of World War II and Vietnam War items. These antiquities include uniforms, weaponry and various plane parts such as propellers and hull fragments. Also in this exhibit are a pair of skis and snowshoes that have little labeling to explain their relevance in this particular portion of the museum.

This completes your indoor tour of the museum. From here, you are encouraged to take a look at the outdoor “cracker” house and the refurbished private train car – both of which are definitely worth a quick once-over.

All-in-all, I would say that is a pretty insightful yet general examination of the region. I feel that this experience is a necessity for all permanent Southwest Florida residents to gain a broad understanding of the region to develop a sense of understanding and pride for the place they call home. That being said, I also feel as those there are some pertinent holes between exhibits such from the Calusa extinction to the Seminole Wars as well as Roaring ‘20s and Great Depression era Florida.

The museum is open 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday year round. Private and group tours are also available upon request.