Marco Island Historical Museum Celebrates Lobby Redesign

On Wednesday, December 7th, the Marco Island Historical Society and Museum held a grand celebration of the Marco Island Historical Museum's newly redesigned lobby. The Grand Celebration’s Reception took place in the Rose History Auditorium with a saxophonist providing classy Christmas tunes, catering provided by the Italian Deli, and plenty of drinks and mingling preceding speeches and the ribbon cutting ceremony.

At the Grand Celebration speeches were given by Pat Rutledge, Marco Island Historical Society Executive Director, and Austin Bell, Curator of Collections. Rutledge recognized the individuals who graciously donated significant funding and provided support for the project. She also recognized the day of remembrance for the bombing of Pearl Harbor and facilitated a moment of silence. After Rutledge thanked the individuals who made the lobby’s redesign possible, Bell stepped up to the podium to explain the museum’s redesign process.

 In 2017, after the museum completed their pioneer exhibit, the idea for the new lobby materialized with the realization that it was no longer on par with the rest of the museum’s exhibits. Later in 2020, the Museum of Florida History offered the Marco Island Historical Museum an important piece of Marco Island history: Eugene “Paul” Teachout’s skiff was one of the main motivators for the lobby’s remodeling and it is now on display.

In addition to the skiff, the museum’s remodeling was also organized so that guests could view the exhibition of the Rosie O’Shea, an Authentic Mississippi River Paddlewheeler that navigated Marco Island waters from 1986 to 1998. The exhibit also showcases a painting of the Rosie O’Shea and a model of what the boat looked like when it was in use.

Following the speeches, guests at the Museum’s Grand Celebration gathered in the courtyard in front of the famous Key Marco Cat statue and had the opportunity of witnessing the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the lobby’s grand reopening. After the ceremony, the museum opened up the lobby to guests so that they can view the improved lobby and added exhibits for themselves.

The museum placed within the top 10% of attractions on Tripadvisor and over 225,000 people have visited the museum since it first opened its doors. The additional exhibits and changes made to the lobby create a welcoming environment for visitors and hold precious Marco Island History.