ALL ABOARD!

Through this website of the Historical Society of Avon Park, its Depot Museum and its railroad dining car, we hope you get to know us: who we are, and more importantly, what we do.

Our mission is to record and display the history of Avon Park and the surrounding area within the museum, once a railroad depot for the Seaboard Airline Railroad.

We tell the stories of Avon Park in a variety of ways. We boast a traditional museum rich in local history. In addition, we host a variety of programs for the community where our members share their memories of growing up in Avon Park (for example, their school days, their World War II days). We have a recently produced video that portrays the first nine years of Avon Park (and how it almost came to a sudden halt). We also hold an annual Pioneer Homecoming Picnic, complete with the naming of the Pioneers of the Year. And we also offer an annual banquet, featuring election of board members.

We have a growing collection of booklets that capture some of our history, including one on growing up in the Crate Mill Quarters of Avon Park -- even one containing the words and music of a song reflecting the history of our community. Upcoming is a booklet on a once local resident who was poet laureate of the U.S.; another, a manuscript penned by the founder of Avon Park; and yet another on the role that baseball has played in the history of the community. These booklets and other items are on sale in our museum gift shop.

Also underway is an oral history project involving Black and White residents of Avon Park. We are partnering with South Florida Community College on this project.

We also provide a unique dining experience in our railroad dining car. Groups from 15 to 40 can arrange for lunch or special occasions. Call us for more details.

If you would like to join us on any of these efforts, call 863-453-3525.

                            MUSEUM ANNOUNCES AUGUST 2010 HOURS

                      4th Annual Pioneer Homecoming Picnic

    Event takes place Saturday, August 14, at noon at the Avon Park Community Center. Introduction of  2010 Pioneers of the Year. Free Admission; bring a covered dish to pass. To reserve a table for eight, call Jean Jordan at 453-6957 by August 7th.

                          2010 Summer Sunday Speaker Series 

August 1st at 2PM: Don Appelquist of South Florida Community College shares the history of the Hotel Jacaranda and takes visitors on a tour of the recent improvements. Meet at the Hotel Jacaranda at 1:45 PM. 

August 8th: Talk on---and tour of--- the Avon Park Air Force Range. Meet at the museum at 1:30 PM and we'll carpool to the range; or just drive there yourself and we'll meet you at the gate at 2 PM.

August 15th: No program.

August 22nd:  All about the Avon Park High School Circus Program of the 1950's, with Lucy Derkman heading up a panel of former acrobats. This talk takes place at the museum at 2 PM.

August 29th: Peter Anderson, recently retired manager of Highlands Hammock State Park, offers "Tales of a Park Ranger." This presentation takes place at the museum at 2 PM.