The Tallahassee Museum is a privately funded, non-profit corporation in Tallahassee, Florida. The stated purpose of the Tallahassee Museum is "to educate the residents of and visitors to the Big Bend area about the region's natural and cultural history, from the nineteenth century until the present." "Big Bend" refers to that portion of Florida where the Florida panhandle meets the peninsular portion of the state. Tallahassee, Florida's capital city, is centrally located in that region.

History

Discussions in 1957 led to the formation of the "Tallahassee Junior Museum," a name which was eventually changed to "Tallahassee Museum," although the earlier name is still occasionally used. The museum was moved to its current 52-acre (210,000 m2) location in 1962, lodged between Lakes Bradford and Hiawatha, in Leon County, Florida.

Facilities and exhibits

A major strength of the museum lies in the diversity of its exhibits and the multiple utilization capabilities of its facilities.

Big Bend Farm

A considerable portion of the grounds is devoted to the re-creation of rural life in north Florida in about 1880. Included in that effort are homes, gardens, farm buildings (with appropriate farm animals), a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

, and a

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a special ...

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

Wildlife Florida

Another major portion of the museum is devoted to Florida wildlife, with many animals in relatively large, well-vegetated areas, usually similar to native habitats. Of note are black bears,

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

, and

bobcats The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

, as well as several endangered species:

red wolves The red wolf (''Canis rufus'') is a canine native to the southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (''Canis latrans'') and gray wolf (''Canis lupus''). The red wolf's taxonomic classification as being a separate sp ...

and Florida panthers. There are also several

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, a

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

exhibit, small mammals, and a "guest" animal habitat, which was introduced in 1988. Twice a day, there are "Animal Encounters," during which a staff member shows and teaches about an animal. They may show birds of prey, snakes, a rabbit, or a skunk. Many of the animals used for education have been injured, especially birds of prey. Since these animals could not survive in the wild, in accordance with state laws, they must either be used for education or be put down.

Old Florida

Buildings of historical interest or importance comprise the Old Florida segment of the museum: the 19th century Bellevue Plantation (once the home of Catherine Murat, a relative of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, and wife of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's nephew Achille Murat), the 1937 Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church (founded by Rev. James Page, a slave preacher), the 1890s Concord schoolhouse, a reminder of early African-American educational facilities, and a 1920s caboose.

Florida & Beyond

This section includes the Fleischmann Natural Science Building with two freshwater aquaria and facilities for bird watching, the Phipps Gallery with changing exhibits of local art, culture and history, and the Discovery Center, a family interactive area with hands-on exhibits about the natural history and culture of North Florida.

Other

The museum also has several nature trails, one of which includes a boardwalk over normally flooded cypress habitat, and a number of special-use facilities for indoor exhibits and workspaces.

Sources

Tallahassee Museum
- official site {{authority control Museums in Tallahassee, Florida History museums in Florida Farm museums in Florida Culture of Tallahassee, Florida Nature centers in Florida Zoos in Florida