PHOTO RELEASE: Museum of Florida History Reopens with New Exhibit

Tallahassee –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that the Museum of Florida History has reopened to the public. With the reopening of the Museum comes the completion of a fascinating new permanent exhibit, Forever Changed: La Florida, 1513–1821. Phase 1 of the Forever Changed exhibit opened in 2012 and featured the time period 1513–1565. The new exhibit explores a dynamic period in history– from the meeting and interaction of native and European cultures to Florida’s adoption as a United States territory.

“With the completion of the plaza renovation project, the official state history museum of Florida is now open to the public,” said Secretary Detzner. “With the opening comes a new and exciting exhibit, Forever Changed, which brings to life the cultures, perspectives, and material evidence of the many diverse groups that forged the state’s past and left lasting legacies.”

Photo (From Left to Right): On Friday, October 16, Sandy Shaughnessy, Director of Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs; Laura Rogers and Kathy Guilday, Board Members, Friends of the Museum of Florida History; Dr. Jeana Brunson, Director of the Museum of Florida History; Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner; Lisa Dunbar and Bruce Graetz, Senior Museum Curators, Museum of Florida History, hold a ribbon cutting ceremony reopening the Museum of the Florida History in Tallahassee.

The new exhibit’s most prominent features are a fort modeled after St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos, a Spanish colonial-style house and church, and a frontier trading scene. The Forever Changed exhibit also addresses the impact of European actions on native peoples and the resulting physical and cultural changes. Among the many artifacts on display is a finely carved powder horn from the British period that illustrates the architecture of St. Augustine on one side and a meeting between Native Americans and Europeans on the reverse. Recreated settings, rare artifacts, along with many interactive and hands-on activities, engage visitors of all ages for a better understanding of Florida’s colonial history.

Follow the Museum of Florida History on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information, visit museumoffloridahistory.com or call 850.245.6400.

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About the Museum of Florida History
The Museum of Florida History is part of the Florida Department of State’s Division of Cultural Affairs and is located in the R. A. Gray Building at 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, Florida. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday and holidays, noon to 4:30 p.m.  Free parking is available in the garage next to the R. A. Gray Building.