Supported by the office of the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, the Palmetto Historical Park, Manatee County Agricultural Museum and Manatee Village Historical Park have reopened after closing for month-long improvements.

During the closure, the artifacts at the Palmetto Historical Park currently not on display were organized and stored together on the air-conditioned stage in the Carnegie Library. In the future, the Palmetto Historical Commission plans to build a Preservation and Education facility to house the collection. Several artifacts have been transferred to peer institutions or relocated to the current storage area, including old newspapers, scrapbooks and Palmetto Historical Commission records. The schoolhouse received restoration work to its windows and walls, and the Cypress House Military Museum was outfitted with new insulation and the ceiling repainted. Once construction on the schoolhouse and Military Museum projects are completed in fall 2019, they will reopen to the public.

While the Manatee County Agricultural Museum was closed, all the preparation work was accomplished for upcoming programming, including “Make It Take It Tuesdays and Thursdays” program, the installation for the Florida Highwaymen Exhibit and updates to the hands-on Junior Agricultural spots. Manatee County Agricultural Museum staff also assisted the historic Duette School House and assembled five exhibit cases, and the Curator of the Manatee County Agricultural Museum reviewed, archived and cataloged artifacts and the records of the museum’s history. Also, the City of Palmetto installed drains to help eliminate future flooding.

Manatee Village Historical Park closed for cleaning, sorting and organizing of its collections. Four filing cabinets full of staff files from the 1980s and 1990s, such as press releases, event fliers, notes, ideas and research, were digitally saved and archived. The cabinets have now been replaced with shelving, providing much-needed space for its artifacts. Staff also completed the Religion in Manatee exhibit now on display in the Wiggins General Store.

Manatee County Historical Resources