We opened in April of 2009, and since then, residents of the community have generously shared their pictures, genealogy, memories, household and work items to build our collection. Our first artifact was the medical bag of beloved midwife Tillie Miller, donated by Rita Brown Millender and John Brown. From then Carrabelle History Museum has grown to house thousands of items in its collections. Gratefully, we still receive wonderful local artifacts.
The museum is located in the Old Carrabelle City Hall, built by local mason Marvin Justiss in 1933 during the Depression as a work program to employ locals. The museum has exhibits rooms to display collections, a large entry hall for special displays, and a workroom/office for the volunteers to process the incoming artifacts. We have several displays that highlight Local Heroes; the Steamship Tarpon, which was key to building our community in the early 1900's; and Carrabelle's "First People", indigenous people who lived here thousands of years ago.
SPECIAL PROGRAM: Saturday, March 18, 2023, at 10 am - 12 pm
The Carrabelle History Museum is presenting a history program entitled, “The Legend of Tate's Hell”.
This program will explore the many facets of the legend of Tate’s Hell, the fate of Cebe Tate and how Tate's Hell State Forest got its name. The FSU Department of Communications’ 1983 short film, “A Tale of Tate’s Hell” will be shown. This program will be held Saturday, March 18, 2023, at 10 am - 12 pm in the upstairs room at C-Quarters Marina, 501 St. James Ave (Hwy 98), Carrabelle, FL.
The opening line of the film says, "In the folk region, people are wedded to the land, and the land holds memories. The people themselves possess identity and ancestry, through continuous occupation of the same soil. Local events can flower into legend and ballad and proverb, and village ways can harden into custom." - Richard M. Corson in American Folklore.
There is no fee for this program. Donations are gladly accepted to defray costs. Sponsored by C-Quarters Marina and Shaun Donahoe Realty. Funding in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council. Seating is limited and masks are optional. Attendees are asked to follow health guidelines. For more information, contact 850-697-2141.
Funded in part by Franklin County Tourist Development Council