Location
513 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601
Hours
Wednesday – Saturday 11am-4pm
FREE Admission
Upcoming Holiday Closure:
- December 24 – January 6, reopening for regular hours on January 7
Accessibility
The museum has an ADA accessible ramp and restrooms. There is one wheelchair accessible parking spot in the museum’s parking lot.
All exhibits and programs are located in the main Matheson History Museum building, as well as the museum’s gift shop and offices. The museum is housed in the former American Legion Hall, which was built in 1932. Prior to the American Legion Hall the Florida Winter Bible College Tabernacle (seen below) was located on this spot. Traveling Chautauquas were held in the Tabernacle into the early 1930s. Learn more about the Chautauqua Movement in this Florida Revealed post.
Exhibit Halls
The Main Museum building is home to the Main Exhibit Hall and the Mary Ann Cofrin Exhibit Hall. Each exhibit hall hosts a temporary exhibit. See what is currently on display here: http://www.mathesonmuseum.org/current-exhibitions or what exhibits are coming up next here: http://www.mathesonmuseum.org/upcoming-exhibitions.
Speaker Series
The Matheson’s speaker series takes place throughout the year and features local and Florida authors, historians, and community leaders. Visit our Events page to find out who will be speaking next.
Second Saturdays at Sweetwater
Join us every second Saturday from September to May for a program on the front lawn of the Matheson House. Events vary from live music to theater to the annual Floridiana Festival.
Tours
Tours of the current temporary exhibit are available free of charge. To schedule a tour please contact Sal Cumella at SCumella@mathesonmuseum.org or 352-378-2280.
Permanent Exhibits
Timucuan Canoe – The 1,400 year old canoe was discovered in 2011 in a receding pond in Alachua County. The Matheson partnered with the Florida Museum of Natural History to preserve the canoe. The exhibit also includes a mural backdrop painted by artist Stacey Breheny.
Matheson & Company Store – The museum houses a re-creation of the Matheson & Company Store as it would have looked at the turn of the 20th century. Opened in 1867 on the courthouse square in downtown Gainesville, it began life as a general store but by the 1890s specialized in shoes and leather. Read more about the store’s history in this Florida Revealed post.
Historic 1885 Alachua County Courthouse – The museum is honored to house artifacts from the 1885 county courthouse, which was torn down in 1961. Located above the fireplace in the exhibit hall is one of the two copper Florida Coat of Arms, which used to be located above the north and south doors. Located in front of the Tison Tool Barn is one of the horse troughs from the courthouse. Keeping watch over the Historic Matheson House is a 1913 city street lamp that was saved by Sarah Hamilton Matheson during World War II from being melted down for scrap. It is similar to the ones that were located around the courthouse square.
Matheson History Museum 