Last updated: 9/18/2013
Avon Park, Florida
Address
3 North Museum Ave.Avon Park, FL 33825

Hours

The Depot Museum
Wednesday - Friday
10 AM - 3 PM

Staff

Elaine M. Levey
phone:
e-mail:
Description

Through our website of the Historical Society of Avon Park, its Depot Museum and its railroad dining car, we hope you get to know us: who we are, and more importantly, what we do.

Depot Museum

Depot Museum Avenue, home to the Depot Museum, the Avon Park Public Library and the city’s community center, is now known as the Cultural Core of Avon Park. At the heart of this core is the museum, operated by the Historical Society of Avon Park. The museum serves as an ever-growing, multifaceted resource for the community. It was built as a railroad station in 1926 by the Seaboard Railroad, which brought hundreds of people to the area in the late 1920s, many of whom would later settle here. Thousands of soldiers -- and their families -- also arrived in Avon Park by train during World War II, when the city was home to two Army Air Corps training facilities. A number of these soldiers married local girls and later returned to make Avon Park their home.

Today, the Depot’s main function is to serve as a historical museum for Avon Park and the surrounding area. It features a number of ever-growing exhibits telling the stories of Avon Park. The museum also features a research room, complete with a microfilm reader/printer for viewings yesterday’s Avon Park newspapers. And, of course, visitors will find a museum gift shop. A former railroad dining car, built in 1948 and purchased by the Historical Society of Avon Park in 1986, sits adjacent to the museum. It is rapidly becoming a popular site for people-pleasing luncheons, historical programs and other functions. During the summer season, we periodically sponsor Sunday afternoon programs. These include both “chat rooms,.” where visitors are encouraged to share their memories of growing up, or a “speakers series.”

Avon Park's strong suit is its history. That's true -- but only if we work at it. And that's why we need your continued support to keep it alive.

Mission

Our mission is to record and display the history of Avon Park and the surrounding area within the museum, once a railroad depot for the Seaboard Airline Railroad.

Services
Gift Shop Museum

Gift Shop Museum Director Elaine Levey invites you to stop in and visit our ever-expanding gift shop. We now offer a selection of museum t-shirts, baseball-style caps and golfing visors. Also on hand are railroad engineer caps, in adult and child sizes. We also have a selection of lapel pins reflecting the railroad industry. We sell several history-related publications including The First Hundred of Avon Park by Leoma Maxwell and video materials (including Avon Park from Founding to Freeze and Living History of Avon Park).

Gift Shop
Group Tours
Exhibitions
Museum Events
DISCLAIMER
This information, including business hours, addresses and contact information is provided for general reference purposes only. No representation is made or warranty is given as to its content or the reliability thereof. User assumes all risk of use. Stories USA, Inc. and its content suppliers assume no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such use. Please call ahead to verify the dates, the location and directions.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Museum Trustee Association Spring Forum 2024

April 10 - 14, 2024

Atlanta, Georgia

Texas Association of Museums 2024 Lubock Annual Conference

April 14 - 17, 2024

Lubbock, Texas

2024 Colorado-Wyoming ANNUAL MEETING

May 1 - 4, 2024

Worland, Wyoming

West Virginia Association of Museums 2024 Conference

June 6 - 8, 2024

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

RECENT UPDATES

Museums

03/07 The Mariners' Museum and Park

Newport News, Virginia

Museum Vendors

02/18 Tessellate

New York City, New York

10/30 Museum Fabrication Group, LLC

Denton, Texas

03/07 ConservArt Inc.

Boca Raton, Florida