Marco Island Historical Museum, Local museum in Marco Island, Florida.
Marco Island Historical Museum is a local museum in Florida dedicated to Southwest Florida's past. The exhibits showcase archaeological finds from regional excavations and display objects that reveal how people lived in this area over time.
The museum opened in 2010 through a partnership between the Marco Island Historical Society and local museum organizations. Its collection draws from 19th-century archaeological research that uncovered remains and artifacts from the region's earliest inhabitants.
The collection tells the story of the Calusa people who lived here for centuries before European contact. Inside you will find tools, ornaments, and everyday objects that show how indigenous communities organized their lives along the coast.
The museum is run by the Marco Island Historical Society within the Collier County Museum System. It sits on Marco Island in Collier County, southwest Florida, so plan around island traffic on and off the bridge. Exhibits cover the Calusa Indians and the development of Marco Island.
The museum displays a replica of the Key Marco Cat, the carved wooden feline figure found on Marco Island in 1896 during Frank Hamilton Cushing's excavation of a waterlogged site. The original, held by the Smithsonian, is one of the few wooden objects to survive from pre-contact Florida. The replica lets visitors see the figure's shape without leaving the island.
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