Since its grand opening in 1994, the Matheson History Museum has been an integral part of our city’s cultural landscape, welcoming visitors from north central Florida and beyond. We strive to make the museum accessible and welcoming to all.
Museum Complex
- Matheson History Museum: The Matheson History Museum’s main exhibition gallery and Mary Ann Cofrin Exhibit Hall are housed in the former American Legion Hall, which was repurposed as a museum in 1994. All programs take place in the museum. The museum’s offices are also housed in this building, which is located at 513 East University Avenue.
- Matheson Library & Archives: Located at 418 East University Avenue in the historic Gainesville Gospel Tabernacle building, which was built in 1933, it was renovated and restored by the museum in 2016. The Matheson History Museum library collection includes more than 20,000 historic Florida postcards, 1,500 stereograph cards, and myriad maps, photographs, documents, books and artifacts.
- 1867 Matheson House: The Matheson House, one of the three oldest residences in Gainesville, was completed in 1867 by James Douglas Matheson, an emigrant from South Carolina and a prominent merchant. For more information on this historic home please visit the Matheson House page.
- Tison Tool Barn: Gifted to the museum in 1993, the Tison Tool Barn houses the extensive historic tool collection of John Mason Tison, Jr. It contains over 1,000 tools from the 1850s to the early 20th century. Please call the museum at 352-378-2280 to schedule a tour.
- Sweetwater Park: This park is located directly behind the museum and maintained jointly by the Matheson History Museum and the City of Gainesville. The museum is in the process of installing a cell phone tour which will give visitors an overview of downtown Gainesville’s history. The park is free and open to the public.
Newsletters
A quarterly newsletter is sent to all members for free. Feel free to peruse back issues to learn more about the Matheson and its programs.
Staff
Dixie Neilson, M.A. Kaitlyn Hof-Mahoney, M.A.
Acting Director Curator of Collections
dixneilson@mathesonmuseum.org curator@mathesonmuseum.org
Joanna Grey Talbot, M.A.
Director of Marketing
info@mathesonmuseum.org
Board of Directors
| Anita Spring, Ph.D. – Board President | Caleb King, D.D.S., M.Sc.D. |
| Ashley Milam – Vice President | Ronnie Lovler |
| Paul Avery, Ph.D. – Treasurer | Robert Mounts |
| Pat Schmidt, Ph.D. – Secretary | Louise Newman, Ph.D. |
| Charles Cobb, Ph.D. | E. Stanley Richardson |
| Fletcher Crowe, Ph.D. | Dulce Román |
| Carolyn L. Hufty | Jon Sensbach, Ph.D. |
| Nancy Hunt, Ph.D. | Ruth L. Steiner, Ph.D. |
| Morris Hylton | Greg Young |
| Lizzie P. R. B. Jenkins |
Emeritus Board Members
Donald Caton, M.D.
Mae Clark
Mary Ann H. Cofrin
Larry Lokken
Rebecca Nagy, Ph.D.
Ann Smith, R.N.
Advisory Council
| Marilyn Tubb – Chair | Linda McGurn |
| Barbara Anderson | David Menet |
| Jean Chalmers | Jeff Montgomery |
| Cynthia Chestnut | Rebecca Nagy, Ph.D. |
| Don Davis | Georgia Rolfe |
| Clayton Kallman | Carla Summers |
| Linda Kallman | Albert White |
| Ken McGurn | Barbara Wingo |
