Matheson History Museum

Matheson History Museum A historic treasure located in the heart of downtown Gainesville
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Happy !The town of White Springs was first incorporated as Jackson Springs in 1831. As with most Florida springs, peopl...
05/29/2026

Happy !

The town of White Springs was first incorporated as Jackson Springs in 1831. As with most Florida springs, people believed that the springs had healing powers for everything from nervousness to kidney troubles to rheumatism. The town was incorporated as White Springs in 1885.

According to the town's website, "In 1903, the spring was enclosed by concrete and coquina walls that included multiple water gates and galleries to prevent water intrusion from river flooding. A four-story wooden bathhouse was constructed around the spring. The structure was designed to include doctors' offices for patient examination and treatment, dressing rooms, space for concessions, and an elevator. However, by the 1930s, the popularity of mineral springs as health resorts faded."

You can still visit the spring house today at the Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park.

Postcard courtesy of the Matheson collection

In 1926, the "March King" marched into Gainesville.Lt. Commander John Philip Sousa was born in Washington DC and joined ...
05/28/2026

In 1926, the "March King" marched into Gainesville.

Lt. Commander John Philip Sousa was born in Washington DC and joined the Marine Corps Band as an apprentice at the age of 13. He played the violin, but left the band in 1875 to focus on other musical endeavors, such as composing and conducting.

On October 1, 1880, Sousa was named the 17th director of the Marine Corps Band and served in that role until 1892. It was during this time that a British journalist dubbed him the “March King.”

In 1892 he left the Marine Corps to start his own band. The Sousa Band went on multiple world tours, including performing at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and as the official American band at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris.

In 1926, University of Florida President Murphree invited Lt. Commander Sousa and his band to perform at the University Auditorium. In a January 25 article, the Gainesville Sun stated that “If the people of Gainesville do not patronize this splendid entertainment they are sound asleep and people from the outside should send in lots of flowers and plenty of men with shovels to pat dirt down over the remains.” Thankfully, that was not necessary.

The Sousa Band gave two performances on February 18th to sold out crowds. Both performances featured a different selection of songs. The performances featured Miss Marjorie Moody (soprano), Mr. William Tong (cornet), Mr. George Carey (xylophone), and Mr. Howard Goulden (xylophone).

From "Famous Faces, Local Places" in Our Town Magazine by Joanna Grey Talbot

- February 12, 1926 Gainesville Sun ad
- February 18, 1926 Gainesville Sun ad with the complete program
- John Philip Sousa in 1922, courtesy of the Library of Congress

REMINDER - the "Going Back to Find Them: Remembering Victims of Racial Terror Lynching" exhibition closes on Saturday. I...
05/27/2026

REMINDER - the "Going Back to Find Them: Remembering Victims of Racial Terror Lynching" exhibition closes on Saturday. If you haven't toured this impactful exhibition yet, we hope you can visit this week! The Museum is open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-4pm and admission is FREE.

The Matheson is honored to host the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project’s eight Community Quilts in an exhibit that examines the role that injustice and violence had in our county’s history and the ways that our community moved towards reconciliation in the recent past. The quilts were made by Alachua County residents from various walks of life to remember and honor the 47 lives lost to racial violence in the 19th and 20th centuries in Alachua County.

Only a few free tickets left for tomorrow's documentary premiere with the Alachua County Crisis Center and the Friends o...
05/26/2026

Only a few free tickets left for tomorrow's documentary premiere with the Alachua County Crisis Center and the Friends of the Crisis Center. https://mathesonmuseum.networkforgood.com/events/97867-voices-of-life-the-legacy-of-the-alachua-county-crisis-center

On Wednesday at 7pm the Matheson History Museum will host the premiere of the documentary "Voices of Life: The Legacy of the Alachua County Crisis Center." The Alachua County Crisis Center has been serving the community for over 55 years.

The evening will also include a Q&A time with:
Joe Thigpen – Director of the Alachua County Crisis Center from 1973-1979 and current president of the Friends of the Crisis Center
Ariel Drescher – Current director of the Alachua County Crisis Center. She began as a volunteer in 2015.
Collin Whitlock – Educator, storyteller, and documentary filmmaker who created the Voices of Life documentary

Today we remember and honor all of the servicemembers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.Richard Moore Ess...
05/25/2026

Today we remember and honor all of the servicemembers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

Richard Moore Esslinger was born in Davie, Florida, but lived in High Springs for most of his life. According to his obituary, he attended the University of Florida from 1944-1946 and had completed his junior year of pre-med when he entered the Army. He received his basic training in Texas and was attached to the medical corps. He shipped out to Korea in December 1946. S/SGT Esslinger died in August 1947, at the age of 19, of an acute illness.

S/SGT Esslinger is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Gainesville.

Photo courtesy of the 1946 UF yearbook

Happy ! Located about 20 miles north of Gainesville on the Santa Fe River is the town of Worthington Springs. By the 18...
05/22/2026

Happy !

Located about 20 miles north of Gainesville on the Santa Fe River is the town of Worthington Springs. By the 1870s people from Gainesville and tourists alike visited the sulphur springs for its health benefits. The basin used for swimming was 40x15 feet. A 1992 Gainesville Sun article states, "The springs had been enclosed with boards to resemble a swimming pool in 1895. By 1908 I.F. Lamb, who owned Hotel Worthington, had purchased the springs and walled a deep section for swimming. He built a two-story building beside the pool. There were dressing rooms on the ground floor and a dance area on the second floor."

The hotel burned downed in November 1911, but the Lambs completely rebuilt it (complete with hot and cold water baths and electric lights) and held a grand opening ball on May 10, 1912. The hotel operated at least through the 1920s but it's unclear when it finally closed. The building no longer stands.

Postcard courtesy of the Matheson collection
Gainesville Sun ad, June 20, 1914

According to the book "Jews of Florida: Centuries of Stories," pictured in this 1939 photograph are the Gilmore sisters ...
05/20/2026

According to the book "Jews of Florida: Centuries of Stories," pictured in this 1939 photograph are the Gilmore sisters (L-R): Anna Gilmore Mazo, Rose Gilmore Rabinovitz, and Sadie Gilmore Singer. They are standing in front of the house where Sadie cooked kosher meals for the Phi Beta Delta fraternity at UF (merged into Pi Lambda Phi in 1941).

"Rose cooked kosher meals for Tau Epsilon Phi in her house and Anna cooked for the Jewish boys who weren't in either fraternity. Rose and David Rabinovitz were the first of the family to settle in Gainesville (1912).

Leib Gilmofsky immigrated from Russia, changed his name to Leon Gilmore at Ellis Island, and brought his wife and six children over. Their daughter, Sadie, met Sam Singer when she visited Rose. They married (1916) and moved between Gainesville and Lake Butler, settling in Gainesville in 1920. At that time the Gainesville population was about 10,000 strong with seven Jewish families: Sadie's sisters' families, F***y and Willie Sobol, the Abraham Buns, Moishe Edelsteins, and the Sternbergs."

Annie Gilmore Mazo 1888-1963
Rose Gilmore Rabinowitz 1890-1966
Sadie Gilmore Singer 1894-1978

The sisters are buried with their families in the B'Nai Israel Cemetery in Gainesville.

Photo courtesy of the State Library & Archives of Florida

Anyone else dreaming of a beach vacation?1963 postcard courtesy of the Matheson collection
05/19/2026

Anyone else dreaming of a beach vacation?

1963 postcard courtesy of the Matheson collection

Happy ! Lafayette County was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution. The origina...
05/15/2026

Happy !

Lafayette County was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution. The original county seat was New Troy with the first courthouse constructed by 1870. It burned down in 1892. County residents then voted to move the county seat to Mayo. The second courthouse was constructed between 1893-1894 and was moved across the street when the third courthouse was built. Today it operates as an inn, Le Chateau de Lafayette.

The current courthouse was built in 1908 and designed by Edward Columbus Hosford in the Classical Revival style. It was constructed of Indiana limestone.

Postcard courtesy of the Matheson collection

Each of our campers this summer have the unique opportunity to learn and play under the direction of a professional arch...
05/14/2026

Each of our campers this summer have the unique opportunity to learn and play under the direction of a professional archaeologist - Caroline Amein! Yes, she's our education coordinator, but her first love is archeology.

Caroline is an archaeologist and University of Florida Ph.D. student from Orlando, specializing in historical archaeology, cemeteries, and the African diaspora. In her undergraduate research, Caroline collaborated with the Eatonville community in conducting ethnographic interviews about their historic cemetery, collecting data to nominate it to the National Register of Historic Places. Her graduate research examines historical trends in gender and consumerism based on jewelry excavated from the late 19th/20th century Freedman’s cemetery in Dallas, TX. She has also done outreach for the Florida Public Archaeology Network - Northeast & East Central Regions, where she monitored historical sites and spoke about archaeology across the state.

Register your camper today for a fun week of hands-on crafts and activities: https://mathesonmuseum.org/summer-camps/

Address

513 E University Avenue
Gainesville, FL
32601

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+13523782280

Website

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