Queen Tommie

The Marco Island Historical Museum chose arguably the most iconic name in Marco Island history for its entry into the Collier County Centennial Celebration. Tommie Barfield is a name that resonates with Marco Islanders and residents county-wide. But as the county continues to grow, many newcomers don’t know much at all about Tommie Barfield. Many don’t even realize Tommie Barfield was a woman.

"I get that pretty frequently,” laughed Rebecca Mazeroski, Marco Island Historical Museum Manager, who curated the exhibit Tommie Barfield, The Queen of Marco and The Creation of Collier County. The exhibit opened Thursday afternoon with a reception that attracted a robust crowd. "You get a lot of parents with kids going to Tommie Barfield Elementary who are so surprised to find out that Tommie was a girl.”

"Tommie Barfield is kind of an iconic figure on the island,” Mazeroski said. "She's a little bit of a favorite, a hometown hero. People kind of know that she was important to the creation of the island and that she was an entrepreneur and a hotelier. But I think some of the other really interesting things she did, don’t make the top three list of things that people talk about. There's just so much about her that it was fun to kind of pick one of those threads out and share that with people. More and more people are learning that Tommie was a woman and that she was so important to the initial development and establishment of this island. Tommie played such an important role in the county being created, but I don't think it's a story that gets out there very much, even when you're talking about Tommie and who she is and what she did. So I thought, that's the story I want to highlight.”

The exhibit Tommie Barfield, The Queen of Marco and The Creation of Collier County runs through August 5 at the Marco Island Historical Museum. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Admission is free.