Elliott Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1961 |
|---|---|
| Location | 825 N.E. Ocean Blvd.,
State Road A-1-A, Hutchinson Island, Stuart, Florida 34996 |
| Type | Art, history, technology |
| Visitors | 50,000 |
The Elliott Museum is a super interesting place located on Hutchinson Island in Stuart, Florida. It's a museum that explores art, history, and technology. The museum is named after Sterling Elliott, a very creative inventor who came up with many new ideas.
At the Elliott Museum, you can see lots of different things. There are special galleries for art, local history, and even baseball! You'll also find cool collections of bicycles, classic wooden boats, motorcycles, and more than 90 cars and trucks. They even have an airplane! One of the coolest parts is how they show off over 50 vehicles. They use a special robotic system that brings cars out for you to see on a spinning platform. The museum also has one of the biggest collections of old Ford Model A and Model AA commercial vehicles in the world.
History of the Elliott Museum
The first Elliott Museum building was built in 1961. A man named Harmon Elliott built it to honor his father, Sterling Elliott. On November 18, 1961, Harmon gave the museum to the Historical Society of Martin County. This group is a non-profit organization, meaning they don't make money for themselves. They have been running the museum ever since.
Some of the items in the museum's first collection came from Sterling Elliott himself. Harmon Elliott also bought many items from another museum in Massachusetts to display here.
A New Building for More Fun
Over the years, the original museum building started to get old and needed repairs. It also wasn't big enough for all the new things the museum wanted to show. So, in June 2011, the old building was taken down. A brand new, much bigger Elliott Museum opened its doors in March 2013. This new building is about 48,000 square feet!
When the new museum opened, it received a huge gift: a collection of Model A and Model AA commercial vehicles. Soon after, the museum joined with the Classic Boat and Maritime Museum. This brought in even more classic boats and boat models. It also added the important job of sharing the history of local boating and sea life.
Today, the new Elliott Museum has both permanent exhibits and special exhibits that change over time. The museum also hosts many fun programs and talks throughout the year. Many people who love old cars visit the museum. They especially enjoy the museum's yearly car show, called Classics at the Beach. This popular event has been held every spring since 1996.
