Marco Island Historical Society Receives Florida Preservation Awards

The Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS) has announced that The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat, a book by MIHS Curator of Collections Austin J. Bell, has received a 2022 Florida Preservation Award for Meritorious Achievement. MIHS also received an Organizational Achievement award for acquiring and restoring a 1940s wooden skiff made by recluse Paul Teachout and used for more than 30 years for transportation and fishing in the backwater islands around Marco Island. 

The awards, presented by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, recognize excellence in historic preservation throughout Florida. The State of Florida’s nonprofit Florida Trust for Historic Preservation is dedicated to protecting Florida’s extraordinary heritage and history. Founded in 1978, the Florida Trust has collaborated to save irreplaceable Florida treasures like the Historic Florida Capitol and is a statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

In Nine Lives, Bell takes a deep dive into all that is known about the world-famous Key Marco Cat, tracking the enigmatic feline from its mist-shrouded origins to its temporary living quarters at the Marco Island Historical Museum. William Marquardt, curator emeritus of the Florida Museum of Natural History has this to say about the Key Marco Cat and Bell’s book, “Mysterious, iconic, and compelling, the Key Marco Cat defies facile characterization. In this well researched book, Bell reveals stories of its nine lives that are sure to surprise and entertain.”

In 2021, MIHS acquired and restored the 11-foot wooden skiff that was acquired from the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee. The skiff, partially held together by hand-whittled wooden pegs, is of completely original design. Bell personally brought the skiff back to Marco Island, enlisting the volunteer services of master boat builder Roger Johnson and MIHS member Ron Rutledge. The skiff was methodically stabilized and conserved over the course of more than six months using materials as close as possible to the original ones. The skiff is now on exhibit in MIHM’s newly renovated lobby.

The Marco Island Historical Museum is located at 180 S. Heathwood Drive. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Admission is free and the site is handicapped accessible.