Museum of the Glades facts for kids

The Lawrence E. Will Museum is a cool place in Belle Glade, Florida. It's run by the Glades Historical Society. This museum teaches you all about the history of the Glades area.

The Museum of the Glades has a huge collection. It shows what life was like for people thousands of years ago, including the Seminoles. You can also see tools from early farmers and learn about big storms from the 1900s. The museum keeps records of local history up to the 1960s.

Belle Glade is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida. It's right by Lake Okeechobee and part of the Everglades farming area. The museum is also part of a national group called the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).

Museum History

The museum started as a non-profit group in 1976. This was part of a celebration for America's 200th birthday. At first, the museum's collection was kept in the Belle Glade Branch Library. It stayed there until 2013 when the library moved.

Lawrence E. Will's Contributions

Lawrence E. Will was the son of an early settler in the Glades. He started the local history collection himself. He gathered his own research, photos, and stories about pioneer life. He wrote six books about Lake Okeechobee and the northern Everglades. His books were based on real stories from people he met. He talked to them while he worked on boats in the Everglades. His well-known books include A Cracker History of Okeechobee and the 1928 Hurricane-Okeechobee Hurricane and the Herbert Hoover Dike.

Discovering Ancient Cultures

In the 1930s, a government program called the Works Progress Administration worked with the Smithsonian. They dug up an ancient mound outside Belle Glade. Archaeologists found amazing artifacts that were over 3,000 years old. These items helped explain the culture of early communities. These people are known as the "Belle Glade People". They had a thriving culture until the mid-1700s.

More artifacts were added to the museum after a 1977 dig at the Belle Glade Mound. They found pottery, shells, and bones. In 2012, an archaeologist finished studying the Belle Glade Mound Collection at the Smithsonian. This research focused on the ancient Native Americans who lived there between 700 AD and 1500 AD. For many years, Dr. Joseph Orsenigo took care of these historical items. He passed away in 2009.

In 2012, the Belle Glade Historical Society changed its name. It became the Museum of the Glades.

Archaeological Significance

The Belle Glade Culture was a successful group of people. They lived in the area from about 500 BC to 1500 AD. These early people were very organized. They also traded many things with other tribes in Florida. In the 1930s, archaeologists dug up the Belle Glade Mound. It was the first large ancient mound site to be discovered in the area.