If you’re in southwest Florida and have a couple hours to spare, a visit to Museum of the Everglades should be on the top of your agenda. Judy and I stopped here during a visit to Everglades City, and I am SO glad we did. I don’t think either of us expected to be wowed by this small museum housed in an old laundry, but from the whimsical bike rack shaped like an alligator to the delicately stitched Seminole textiles to the welcoming volunteer answering questions at the front desk, Museum of the Everglades is a small but mighty exemplar of a museum – and it’s FREE. Make a donation, if you please, and I hope you please.
Gail, a volunteer, greeted us as soon as we entered and oriented us to the exhibits. She made sure we knew where to find each feature (a featured exhibit, permanent exhibits, and a meeting of a local group learning about local movie history) and offered to answer questions at any time.
In the front room of the museum, where Gail sat, was the exhibit “Indomitable” that featured Camille Baumgartner, a local artist who passed away several years ago. Camille embraced Everglades City, and Everglades City has clearly returned the embrace. The warmth with which her life and her work were described made Judy and I both want to know more.
The central room of the museum houses the permanent exhibits. I was impressed by the drawers of Seminole textiles. I’ve loved rickrack since I was a young girl, and Seminole seamstresses share this love. The hand stitching is so delicate and the clothes so bright and pretty! Some of the patterns are not hard to duplicate, but I’d never try to sew them by hand; I have no patience and little talent.
There was a display explaining how the Walking Dredge worked to build Tamiami Trail, and a display about hurricanes. The Rod and Gun Club has a case full of memorabilia, and a local mission and Hercules Powder dynamite are also described. But what really caught my eye was a display of the folk art of Robert Lee Storter, Jr. His watercolors and carved fish made me feel joyful.
In the last room, a presentation about Wind Across the Everglades, a movie featuring Burl Ives and Christopher Plummer, was underway. I was saddened by the news that Burl Ives (who I only know of because of the old Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer stop motion movie and the Christmas carol Holly Jolly Christmas) was not very nice during filming of the movie. We did not stay for the presentation because we wanted to remain socially distant and I didn’t want to learn more that would make me question my ideas about actors.
I left this museum with a sense that Everglades City inspires its residents to dig roots in the small town. I’d like to come back and spend some time here, especially after COVID-19 is gone and we can once again easily talk to strangers on the street.
Looking forward to visiting it with you.