We opened in April of 2009, and since then, residents of the community have generously shared their pictures, genealogy, memories, household and work items to build our collection. Our first artifact was the medical bag of beloved midwife Tillie Miller, donated by Rita Brown Millender and John Brown. From then Carrabelle History Museum has grown to house thousands of items in its collections. Gratefully, we still receive wonderful local artifacts.
The museum is located in the Old Carrabelle City Hall, built by local mason Marvin Justiss in 1933 during the Depression as a work program to employ locals. The museum has exhibits rooms to display collections, a large entry hall for special displays, and a workroom/office for the volunteers to process the incoming artifacts. We have several displays that highlight Local Heroes; the Steamship Tarpon, which was key to building our community in the early 1900's; and Carrabelle's "First People", indigenous people who lived here thousands of years ago.
NOW THROUGH JUNE 30
Since its opening on Saturday, March 16, the exhibit has interested audiences with its exploration of the legend of Tate’s Hell, shedding light on the misadventures and fate of Cebe Tate, and the intriguing origins behind the name of Tate's Hell State Forest. Visitors have been treated to a captivating array of wildlife and landscape photography captured within Tate’s Hell by esteemed photographers John Spohrer and Jon Johnson. Their stunning images vividly depict the unique beauty and mystique of this legendary locale.
Additionally, the exhibit showcases cultural treasures such as the iconic ballad, "The Ballad of Tate’s Hell" by Will McLean, performed by the talented Frank Lindamood. Also featured is the 1983 short film, “A Tale of Tate’s Hell”, produced by the FSU Department of Communications, offering an unique interpretation on the Tate’s Hell legend.
Sponsored by C-Quarters Marina and Shaun Donahoe Realty. Funding in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council.
"In the folk region, people are wedded to the land, and the land holds memories. The people themselves possess identity and ancestry, through continuous occupation of the same soil. Local events can flower into legend and ballad and proverb, and village ways can harden into custom."
---Richard M. Corson in American Folklore
Funded in part by Franklin County Tourist Development Council