Matheson History Museum

Matheson History Museum A historic treasure located in the heart of downtown Gainesville
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Terrance Patrick Fleming was born in 1961 in Bloomington, Indiana. He served in the Navy and lived in San Francisco, Cal...
06/17/2026

Terrance Patrick Fleming was born in 1961 in Bloomington, Indiana. He served in the Navy and lived in San Francisco, California before moving to Gainesville in 1997. A graduate of Santa Fe College, Terry quickly became involved in the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2002, he was one of the founding members of the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida and went on to serve in many roles at the organization, including organizing the annual Pride Festival.

Terry was heavily involved in the Human Rights Council of North Central Florida, Alachua County Democratic Party, Stonewall Democrats of Alachua County, Alachua County NAACP, and the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus working for pro-equality policies and candidates. He worked tirelessly for those in the margins.

In 2019, Terry and the PCCNCF requested that the City install three rainbow crosswalks in downtown Gainesville to celebrate diversity and support the LGBTQ+ community. Terry led the fundraising drive and raised $7,000. The crosswalks were installed in the fall of 2019. In August 2025, the City removed the painted bricks after state officials ordered the removal of all rainbow crosswalks throughout the state. The City saved the bricks and re-installed them as part of the renovated City Hall Plaza in May 2026.

The City of Gainesville declared April 28, 2021, as Terry Fleming Day and in October 2025, the City Commissioners voted unanimously to dual-name SE/NE First Street between SE 2nd Avenue and NE 2nd Avenue as "Terry Fleming Street."

Terry passed away in 2020 and is buried at the Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery in Gainesville.

Photo courtesy of the Gainesville Sun

Snapshots of a day in the life of students at Gainesville's former Kirby Smith Elementary School in the 1970s. The photo...
06/16/2026

Snapshots of a day in the life of students at Gainesville's former Kirby Smith Elementary School in the 1970s. The photographs were taken by teacher Ann Bonneville and were donated to the Museum in 2023.

The school closed in 1976, and the building now houses the school administration offices.

Dr. Gary Mormino once said, "If Florida had a Photographer Laureate, John Moran should hold that title."This beautiful p...
06/15/2026

Dr. Gary Mormino once said, "If Florida had a Photographer Laureate, John Moran should hold that title."

This beautiful photo of Orange Lake was taken by John Moran and is part of his book, "Journal of Light: The Visual Diary of a Florida Nature Photographer." A University of Florida graduate, Moran worked for 23 years as a newspaper photographer and writer. In 2003 he left journalism to concentrate full time on photographing the best of natural Florida. He was named Photographer of the Year for the Southeastern U.S. by the National Press Photographers Association. His photography has appeared in numerous books and magazines including National Geographic, Life, Time, Smithsonian, The New York Times Magazine and on the cover of the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida.

You can visit the area where this photo was taken - the Marjorie A. Hoy Memorial Park at Orange Lake Overlook (19865 N US Highway 441, Micanopy). Owned and maintained by the Alachua Conservation Trust, you can explore a variety of trails and look for beautiful views such as the one captured by John Moran.

2007 postcard courtesy of the Matheson collection

This we're traveling to our next-door neighbor, Levy County Florida.“Today I reached the sea,” wrote John Muir on Octo...
06/12/2026

This we're traveling to our next-door neighbor, Levy County Florida.

“Today I reached the sea,” wrote John Muir on October 23, 1867, “…emerging from a multitude of tropical plants, I beheld the Gulf of Mexico stretching away unbounded, except by the sky.” Over the course of seven weeks naturalist John Muir walked from Indiana to the Gulf Coast, ending his walk in Cedar Key. He ended up staying longer than he planned because he contracted malaria and had to convalesce for a few months. In early 1868 he left Cedar Key and eventually settled in California, where he helped found Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Club.

Today the City of Cedar Key is a beloved day trip destination for many Alachua County residents. Be sure to check out the Cedar Key Historical Society and Museum and the Cedar Key Museum State Park. In April the city hosts the Old Florida Celebration of the Arts.

Postcard courtesy of the Matheson collection

Join the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, Inc. for their Juneteenth Celebration Breakfast on Friday, June 19th at...
06/11/2026

Join the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, Inc. for their Juneteenth Celebration Breakfast on Friday, June 19th at 7:30am. Tickets can be purchased here: https://wix.to/IYJh1yW.

This special event honors the enduring legacy of African-inspired music and culture while commemorating the liberation, resilience, and contributions of Black Americans throughout history. Guests will enjoy breakfast, cultural fellowship, inspiring moments of reflection, and a celebration of the powerful influence of African-derived music on communities around the world.

Randall Craig Buel was born on July 12, 1949, in New York to Robert and Jerry Buel. The Buels moved to Gainesville when ...
06/10/2026

Randall Craig Buel was born on July 12, 1949, in New York to Robert and Jerry Buel. The Buels moved to Gainesville when Randy was young, and he graduated from Gainesville High School in 1967.

Not long after graduation, Randy moved to California and lived there for 25 years. He moved back to Gainesville in the early 1990s after he was diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which progressed into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Wanting to help other people who were living with the same disease, he volunteered with the North Central Florida AIDS Network until he and 24 others founded the Gainesville Area AIDS Project (GAAP) in September 1993. GAAP was incorporated in November 1993 with Randy as the founding president.

Randy passed away in July 1997 and is buried in Forest Meadows Memorial Park in Gainesville.

His legacy lives on in GAAP. In 2002, the Pride Community Center invited GAAP to share their center and in 2018, GAAP became an official program of the PCNCF. https://www.pccncf.org/gaap

This page from Frank McCord "Pat" O'Byrne's scrapbook during his years as a student at UF (1911-1914), showcases UF prof...
06/09/2026

This page from Frank McCord "Pat" O'Byrne's scrapbook during his years as a student at UF (1911-1914), showcases UF professor William Groff Ranels (1885-1970).

Ranels was born in Maryland and prior to his career in academia and the private sector, he was part of a gymnastic duo - Ranels and Teare. They gave demonstrations of tumbling and "hand-to-hand balancing stunts."

Professor Ranels eventually married and began teaching mechanical engineering. He spent only a few years at UF but also worked at Rose Polytechnic Institute in Indiana, Highland Park College of Engineering in Iowa, and for the Bristol Aeroplanes Company.

He is buried in Sandy Springs, Ohio, with his wife, Artemisia.

Scrapbook donated by Betty O'Byrne, courtesy of the Matheson collection

Where did you go to summer camp?In 1949 Camp Doe Lake, located in the Ocala National Forest, was opened for Black 4-H me...
06/08/2026

Where did you go to summer camp?

In 1949 Camp Doe Lake, located in the Ocala National Forest, was opened for Black 4-H members. According to the UF/IFAS blog, "That summer, it welcomed 263 girls and 175 boys, who came from every part of the state to enjoy swimming, canoeing and fishing and attended demonstrations on first aid, hygiene, water safety and citizenship. The camp hosted many programs and special guest speakers over the years, and it was the main statewide meeting place for African-American clubs until 4-H was desegregated in 1964. After that, Doe Lake was open to 4-H campers of all races until it was closed in 1972."

Camp Doe Lake images from 1956, courtesy of University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries

Happy !Today we're traveling to the City of Perry, the county seat of Taylor County. Pictured here is the former Union ...
06/05/2026

Happy !

Today we're traveling to the City of Perry, the county seat of Taylor County. Pictured here is the former Union Bus Station. The bus was on its way to Tampa. Today the building is a part of City Hall at 224 S Jefferson Street. The City Council meets in this building.

Address

513 E University Avenue
Gainesville, FL
32601

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+13523782280

Website

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