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The Pioneer Florida Museum Association was chartered by the State
of Florida on April 30,1961. The gift of early Pioneer farm equipment
to
the Pasco County Fair Association was the incentive for forming the
museum association with 87 charter members. Gifts of time, talent, land, objects for the collections and money
from countless individuals and organizations have enabled the museum
to grow and flourish. It is located on a 20-acre wooded hillside and
has ten main buildings.
Eight buildings are historically significant and were moved from
surrounding Pasco County communities to the museum grounds. They are:
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This was the first historically significant
building to be moved to the Museum Grounds, the Old Lacoochee
School, was acquired
in 1976, only a few weeks before it was scheduled to be torn
down. Although built in the 1930's as a part of a complex of
frame school buildings and used as a first grade building, the
structure
is architecturally typical of the one room school houses of an
earlier period. The school has been restored and furnished in
the style of the one room schools prevalent in Pioneer Florida.
The addition of electric lights, salvaged from another 20th century
school building, has made the Old Lacoochee School available
for use as a classroom for courses and meetings offered by the
Pioneer Florida Museum & Village.
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(click image for close-up view)
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The Trilby Depot built in 1896 and a 1913
Porter Steam Engine Close
up were previously located in the nearby
town of Trilby, once the third largest railroad yard in Florida.
The steam engine was used
for 50 years by the Cummer Cypress Co. to haul logs to its sawmill
in Lacoochee. The logs on the truck are estimated to be between
four and five hundred years old.
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(click image for close-up view)
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Enterprise Church: This was built in 1878. The original structure
was built by local residents and replaced in 1903 at the cost
of $500.00. In 1977 the church was moved to the Museum to preserve.
Wedding are still performed at the Church.
This is a beautiful setting anytime of the year..
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(click image for close-up view) |
J.L. Bromley Shoe Rapair was donated to the Pioneer Florida
Museum by Mrs .Pearl Bromley. It was originally located at the
corner of Pasco and 8th Streets in Downtown Dade City.
John Lewis (Jack) Bromley came to Dade City from Kansas in 1913.
He was a gifted shoemaker. After getting his wife
Minnie and son Fred settled in their home on Fort King Road,
he opened his shoe repair business which he operated until poor
health closed it's doors in 1930. At that time the shop was moved
to the Fred Bromley property on Pasadena Road.
It remained there until acquired by the Museum in the summer
of 1990. Many area residents will remember the late Fred Bromley,
who operated a watch repair business in Zephyrhills for 42 years.
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The two newer buildings are the Main Museum Building (1975).
The main building houses a variety of collections;medical, Indian
artifacts, dolls and toys, textiles (clothing, quilts,
linens, etc.), laundry equipment, bottles and jars, pottery,
shoe
lasts, hats and umbrellas. These and numerous other items all
combine to give a feeling of nostalgia and a sense a of pride
in Florida's pioneer heritage.
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(click image for close-up view)
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Mabel Jordan Barn
The bright red Mabel Jordan Barn, (built in 1987), houses collections
of early farm equipment, vintage buggies and carriages.The barn
now house 1946 Chevy Firetruck donated to us by Dade City along
with the 1921
LaFrance
Firetruck
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(click image for close-up view)
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C.C. Smith General Store:
The C.C. Smith General Store
was donated to the Museum by C.C. Smith's niece and was moved to
the Museum grounds in May 2000. Built in the 1920's, it served
Lacoochee area residents for over 50 years, and carried many of
the daily items needed by most families. When you are inside you
can go back in history and find meat scales, butcher
block, yard goods by the bolt, a Postmasters
Station, cooking pans, kettles, bottles irons and many items that
have been preserved.
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(click image for close-up view)
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This structure was built in 1909 and
opened in 1910, employing many area people and shipping citrus
by rail and truck.
The Blanton Packing House was a working citrus
plant until the 1989 killer freeze and was like a museum within
it's walls. The Pioneer Museum and Village is in the process of
preserving history and now we are in the phase of re-constructing
this Blanton Packing House back to a working structure. The Museum
has formed a Citrus Committee of agricultural citrus growers,
packers, processors, business and professional members. They will
help with historical information, research, financial fund raising.
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Cane
Syrup Mill |
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Annually the museum sponsors a number of events and activities. They
include:
"Pioneer Florida Day" held on
Labor Day with music, crafts, storytelling, demonstrations of the "old
ways," historical presentations and "cracker" food.
"Black Tie & Blue Jeans Dinner and Dance" held in February.
Farm Festival and Quilt Show, Horse Pull held in February
Other activities held include Country Christmas, Cane Grinding, and
various related activities during the year.
The museum is host to hundreds of school children each year as they
study Florida heritage and pioneer life. Many individuals and organizations
use the buildings and grounds for various activities including class
reunions, picnics, and services and weddings in the Enterprise Church.
The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village trustees and members strongly
believe that the preservation and recognition of our past, our ancestors,
and
the
life they lived help to build the foundation for a better future.
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