Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum facts for kids
Boca Raton Historical Museum located in Old Town Hall
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| Abbreviation | BRHS&M |
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| Formation | 1972 |
| Type | Historical Society |
| Headquarters | Boca Raton Old City Hall |
| Location |
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President
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Hank Jawhari |
The Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum (also called BRHS&M) is a special group and public museum. Its main job is to save and collect old things and stories from Boca Raton, Florida. They do this to teach people and help protect important historical places.
The society works hard to get old buildings and sites recognized as "historic." This means they are protected from being torn down. They also restore these old places to their original look. The museum offers fun exhibits, talks, lessons, history tours, and educational programs. Many of these programs are for schools, teachers, and kids, helping them learn about Florida's past. The society also has a library filled with old photos, newspapers, diaries, and research papers for anyone who wants to learn more. The Boca Raton Historical Museum is open from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 4 PM.
You can find the society and museum inside the Boca Raton Old City Hall. This building was finished in 1972. The society also runs the Boca Express Train Museum and helps with the old Florida East Coast Railway Station. This train station, now called the Count de Hoernle Pavilion, was fixed up so people can visit and learn about its history. Plus, the historical society hosts a yearly food and wine festival called the Boca Bacchanal to help raise money for their work.
Contents
History of the Society
The Boca Raton Historical Society started in 1972. A group called the Junior Service League wanted to create a local history museum in the Old City Hall. Soon after, the society helped create the Boca Raton Preservation Board. This board protected important places like the Boca Raton Old City Hall, the Cloister Inn, the Mizner Administration Building, and the Florida East Coast Railway Station. They made sure these places wouldn't be destroyed because they were so important to history.
For over ten years, the community worked on many projects to restore historical areas. These included Singing Pines (also known as the Children's Museum), moving the Cabana Club, and fixing up the Boca Raton Old City Hall and the F.E.C. Railway Station. By 1975, the city council decided that the Old Town Hall would become a historical museum. In 1983, the historical society began restoring the Old Town Hall. By November 1984, the restoration was finished! They received over $500,000 in donations to help with the work. Because of their great effort, they won the Florida Trust Award for Historic Preservation for saving this important site.
The Old Train Station
In 1985, the old Florida East Coast Railway Station was bought by a local agency. They asked the Boca Raton Historical Society to help raise money and manage the restoration of the train station. The society did an amazing job! They raised almost $1 million. This included donations from the Boca Raton community, a $400,000 state grant, and a huge $500,000 gift from Countess de Hoernle in 1986. Because of her generous gift, the train station was renamed the Count de Hoernle Pavilion.
A year later, members of the society restored four old railway cars. These included a train engine and caboose from 1930, and two sleek rail cars from 1947. Two years after the restoration, the historical society won another Florida Trust Award for Historic Preservation for their hard work on the train station. Finally, in 2004, the inside of the Boca Express Train Museum was finished. It opened to the public for the very first time!
What the Museum Offers
Cool Exhibits
The historical society has many exhibits, including some you can see online. These include 1909 Boca Raton, Mizner's Dream, and Pearl City. They are always working on new displays. For example, they recently created a new exhibition in the Town Hall called History Alive!.
Fun Tours
The historical society and museum offer several exciting tours. You can visit the Boca Express Train Museum, explore the Boca Raton Resort & Club, or take a tour of the Historic Town Hall. They even have a special Halloween-themed walking tour at the Boca Raton Cemetery & Mausoleum during the spooky season! You can also take virtual tours of Old Town Hall and other historic places in Boca Raton from your computer.
Learning Programs
The historical society has a special program for elementary schools called Ticket to Ride. This program takes students on different history tours of the Boca Express Train Museum. The lessons help students get ready for important tests, like the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.
The society also offers free lessons about Boca Raton's local history. These are taught in local schools, like Saint Paul Lutheran Church and School, and are also available online.
There's also Tours for the Scouts. Scouts can visit Town Hall or the Boca Express Train Museum. These visits help scouts earn certain history badges, learning about the past while having fun.
Boca Bacchanal Festival
Every spring, the historical society hosts a big food and wine festival called the Boca Bacchanal. This is their main event for raising money in Boca Raton. The festival features amazing food and drinks from professional chefs and winemakers. Over 2,000 guests attend each year! All the money raised from this event helps the Boca Raton Historical Society grow its educational programs. These programs teach students, residents, and visitors about Boca Raton's rich heritage. The festival has been a major way for the society to raise funds since it started in 2003.
Walk of Recognition
Since 1997, the society has held an annual event called the Walk of Recognition. This celebration honors people and groups who have done great things to improve the lives of people in Boca Raton. People are nominated by the public, and a group of judges chooses the winners based on how much they've helped the community. The names of the chosen people are carved into a black granite star. These stars are displayed on the Walk of Recognition memorial at Royal Palm Place. Every November, an event is held to celebrate these important figures who have made a difference in Boca Raton.
What They Collect
Photographs
The historical society has about 16,000 photographs! These pictures show how Boca Raton grew from the 1900s until today. The collection includes photos of old buildings, important sites, farms, and even the Boca Raton Army Air Field. They also have old aerial photos of Boca that you can compare to new ones.
Manuscripts
The society has collected about 200 manuscripts. These are old documents, like papers from early farmers. They also include documents about the development of historical places like the Yamato Colony and Pearl City, and the Boca Raton Army Airfield during World War II.
Maps
The society has a collection of about 500 maps. These maps were made in Boca Raton throughout different time periods, showing how the area changed.
Newspapers
The historical society keeps copies of old newspapers, like the Boca Raton News, and other local papers. These newspapers have been digitized, which means you can now view them online on their website!
Cool Artifacts
The society protects about 2,000 items, including old artifacts and souvenirs from World War II. They even have the very first IBM Personal Computer that was invented in Boca Raton! The society also has over 150 pieces of furniture and decorations from Mizner Industries. You can see these displayed in the Old Town Hall. One really special item they have is a Maxwell House coffee can. This can was saved from a merchant ship that was attacked by a U-boat (a type of submarine) off the coast of Boca Raton during the war.
Oral History
The society has about 120 oral history recordings. These are stories told by local pioneers from the Pearl City research project. Pearl City was Boca Raton's first historical black community. These stories helped create the 1990 book Pearl City, Florida: A Black Community Remembers.
